[best appreciated at full size against black]

Our daffodils are in full bloom now and they're putting on quite a show! While taking pictures yesteday, I found a Paper Wasp on one of the blossoms and it allowed me to take its picture while it drank from a droplet of water! How cool is that?! :D

Paper Wasps are a big problem for us because they build massive nests under our eaves and it's difficult to move about on our steep roof to get rid of them. They build nests anywhere there's a protective roof, and we've found them inside squirrel baffles, behind deck chairs, inside our barbeque, under the hood of my car and even in the front crack of my car door! They have nasty tempers and unlike bees, wasps do not commit suicide when they use their stinger and can sting as many times as they feel like. I've been stung several times by a single wasp and thankfully they don't hurt too much, at least not as much as a hornet, OUCH! Even though I hate it when there are too many of them, I find these wasps to be extremely pretty and very fascinating! :) If you would like to know more about Paper Wasps, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Paper Wasp.

These images were taken in March, 2012.