#stinging

It’s that time of the yr again when wasp and hornet drones are abandoned by the Queen(she goes off to hibernate) and are left to fend for themselves. While ppl are familiar with wasps hunting other insects they do this only to feed their larvae, while adults rely on sugar, ie from the liquid secreted by the larvae(it’s like a honeydew) or from flower nectar.

So when there is no more larvae or flowers they can get hangry and cause unwanted stinging, but if you help them out in their last days before the freeze takes them you’ll give them a full belly and avoid being stung.

Woobirdy chopping the cheese with demonstration!

The Day-to-Day with Woobirdy

Thomas Hornsby Ferril

The prairie wind blew harder than it could,

Even the spines of cactus trembled back,

I crouched in an arroyo clamping my hands

On my eyes the sand was stinging yellow black.

In a break of the black I let my lashes part,

Looked overhead and saw I was not alone,

I could almost reach through the roar and almost touch

A treadmill of swallows almost holding their own.

Plant of the Day

Monday 15 November 2021

In the Systematic Beds of Cambridge Botanic Garden, UK, the sculptural five chambered seed cases of Blumenbachia insignis (electric shock plant) are all that remains of this unusual hardy annual. This species has fine, stinging hairs which cover all parts of the plant which contribute to the common name. The plant was introduced to British gardens in 1826 from Argentina.