Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Silent Nests

Revealed by the thinning of the leaves, two more Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nests:Dolichovespula maculataDolichovespula maculataNote the differences in the color pattern of the wood-pulp paper between the above nest and the one below. I have some paper that is predominately reddish, but the one above is the usual pattern I see here in Brooklyn. The all-gray one below is unusual looking.Dolichovespula maculataBoth of these were nearly twice as large as the one I recently discovered in Prospect.

Update: I saw three more of these in Prospect Park today.

mthew

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4 responses to “Silent Nests”

  1. Nature on the Edge

    One can only marvel at the intricacy of the construction.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      And the time it must take. Much smaller numbers than the 10,000s in a bee hive. Plus all that chewing of wood with those tiny jaws.

      Reply
    2. mthew

      And then to melt into the wind and snow and rain of winter…

      Reply
  2. Gnawy | Backyard and Beyond

    […] Garden at NYBG.Look at those mandibles! Several hundred workers in a colony will build up those football-sized nests so beloved by nature bloggers from wood pulp and saliva; it looks like a lot of work, because it […]

    Reply

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