19 November 2008

Natural Order

A mighty wind last week took down a paper wasp nest that was hanging high up in the tree next our front door. We hadn't even known it was there until the leaves fell.



The nest is vacant and I took some photos this morning before it completely disintegrated. It was about the size of a basketball and strangely, we had never noticed a problem with wasps although it must have housed quite a population when it was active.

The symmetry of the individual cells is amazing. The overall construction is astounding. I tried to salvage some of it to try to incorporate into an art piece but it was too fragile.

8 comments:

Vivien Zepf said...

We had a giant nest, too, and we were just as lucky; no one was stung, though the nest was in a tree right by our driveway and basketball hoop. I've kept a piece from the nest as well. It's fascinating!

Norma Schlager said...

I used to get them in my old house. One year my son took one to school for Show & Tell only to find out that it wasn't completely empty, so watch out.

Anonymous said...

You can use the paper to make paper for a scrapbook or album. You can sew it, glue it, etc.

Anonymous said...

I unwrapped one once - it was an amazingly long piece. And the layers that I found inside were intriguing. It was like a veritable high rise. I've watched wasps chew the deck railing and knew they were building nearby. It is really a fascinating process and feat of engineering. Lucky you to have one to examine close up.
Lynne

Karen Stiehl Osborn said...

What a great thermofax screen your photos would make!

Renee said...

As soon as I saw your post, I thought Jane will figure out a way to include this in one of her pieces. Since it disintegrated, why not take your photo and make your own background fabric? I know you will think of something. But it is amazing how intricate it is.

Natalya Khorover Aikens said...

very cool pictures even if you didn't manage to save some for art...
by the way - tag, you're it!

Jane LaFazio said...

yup, I was thinking thermofax too. gorgeous find.