November 18, 2013 Photo of the day: "Hornet's Nest"

Now that the leaves have fallen the trees are revealing their hidden secrets: abandoned nests perch on bare branches which once nourished and sheltered families of birds and swarms of wasps. This nest has intrigued & frightened me for days. Logically, I know that the angry dwellers of these elaborate cells are no longer in residence. Wasps colonies only last a year, dying in the fall. Only the queen survives the winter by lying dormant until spring's warmth wakes her. Yet, I inched cautiously toward the tree, trusting that the yellow orbs surrounding it are only reminiscent of the swarming insects that once guarded this fragile home, now battered by the weekend's storm.