happy earth day!

i went to fill my bird feeders and found some wasps nest attached to the underside of the feeder’s caps. considering that insects are a favorite food for many birds, it seemed an odd place for wasps to choose to setup home. perhaps birds are wise enough to avoid wasps. nope, i just googled it, and indeed many bird species eat wasps. including some frequent visitors to our bird feeders: blue jays, chickadees, warblers, orioles, starlings, sparrows, and wrens. hmmm, perhaps the lure of a dry spot out of the rain is so compelling that the wasps would tempt fate with the birds in exchange for a dry overhang. well, i have no doubt the wasps have their reasons, as everything in nature has a reason. we humans may not know all the reasons yet, but i have no doubt explanations exist. while biodiversity may start with random genetic variations in offspring, nothing after that first mutation seems random at all. understanding that every single thing on this planet is contributing to the deeply interconnected, and razor thin,  web of life on this planet is paramount to our coming together to put the planet first, and our national economies and personal consumption wants second.

wasp nest collection