wasp nest

The design and functional expertise of the paper wasp's nest is so beautiful and so geometrically perfect, that perhaps the wasp is my favorite architect. Durable, lightweight, non-toxic in any way, and constructed of sustainable materials - the wasp's work reflects a kind of genius. Last year, I found an abandoned nest perched on a limb. I would not disturb a nest that is in use - this was the first time I was able to look at one up close. Each compartment was so perfectly replicated, perfectly part of the whole. The pale nest was both naturally camouflaged and visually fascinating, a natural wonder. This type of work makes me curious about the nature of intelligence in a paper wasp.

(After writing the above, I did a brief youtube search for videos of wasps building a nest - using 'wasp nest' as the search words. In the first thirty or forty finds, only one video was about the construction. The rest were videos of people destroying nests and the occupants. The subjects in the videos were referred to as wasps, but included hornets and other insects.)