It can be super scary to see a wasp nest in your neighborhood. Wasps can cause a very painful sting. Sometimes their nests can cause damage to your property too. But these critters also provide important ecosystem services – they help control pest insects and pollinate flowers!
You may have heard of birds making nests out of trash, but what about a wasp using trash to build it’s nest??? iNaturalist user rose21 documented this wasp using a bit of rubbish for her nest. It was an iNaturalist observation of the week a few weeks back and we have to agree that this is a pretty interesting observation!
iNat user rose21 documented this paper #wasp making its nest out of blue foam, and it’s our Observation of the Day!
More details at: https://t.co/ChlQd8X4mA #OOTD #insects #nature #hymenoptera #nests #animals #plastic #citizenscience #naturephotography pic.twitter.com/LgGoTRAMQ4
— iNaturalist (@inaturalist) July 5, 2019
Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, let Lindsay know or Tweet at us and you could be featured as a future observation of the week!
I am interested in urban ecology and evolution. Urbanization can have drastic impacts on local ecosystems, both negative and positive, and creates a new environment for organisms to experience. To understand the impacts that urbanization plays on organisms, I look through the lense of population genetics and molecular evolution.
- Urban Observation of the Week: Golden Jackal - July 28, 2021
- Urban Observation of the Week: Bellflowers in Munich - July 21, 2021
- Urban Observation of the Week: So Many Plants - July 14, 2021
I found a nest like this, figured it must be a matter of materials rather than a particular species. Even came down to the same source material as this article, except that the foam was from a trampoline padding, never thought of that until I saw this article