That's Not a Wasp Nest

-
You may recall this photo that I posted in my "Day at the Beach" post:


I said I thought it was some kind of wasp nest because, well, that's what it looks like. I just did a bit of research to see what kind of wasp called it home. It turns out, it's not a wasp nest at all! That is a TERMITE nest! I'm flabbergasted. When I'm back in Puerto Rico, I'm going to try and get a closer look at one of these things.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Inverewe Gardens

-
Image
We stopped at Inverewe Gardens on our way home at the recommendation of one of Steve's work mates. It's a property within The National Trust for Scotland, so admission is free to Trust members. We had been pondering joining since we first moved here and decided to just bite the bullet and sign up whilst we were at the gardens. We only have to visit about four more places to have the membership pay for itself. Since the Culloden Battlefield near us in Inverness is part of the Trust, and our membership also grants us access to England's National Trust locations, we figure our membership will end up saving us quite a bit within the year. Inverewe Gardens was once the estate of Osgood Mackenzie. He built his mansion house on a rocky promontory overlooking Loch Ewe in the mid-19th century. He dreamed of having a walled garden of flowers and vegetables and set about excavating a raised beach and building retaining walls and terraces. By 1870, Osgood had created a productive gar...
Read more

The Clootie Well at Munlochy

-
Image
Munlochy is a village nestled in the Black Isle northeast of Inverness. The clootie well there harkens back to an ancient Celtic tradition where people would visit holy wells and springs in search of healing. They would take a strip of fabric or a rag (known in Scots as a clootie), saturate it in the holy water, and tie it on a nearby tree. Originally, the pilgrims prayed to the local spirit or god. After Christianity arrived, Christian saints supplanted the local deities. The Munlochy well was dedicated to St. Boniface, who served as a missionary in Scotland circa 620 AD. Today, the Clootie Well attracts tourists who festoon all manner of fabric-esque items all over the trees in the area. Steve and I visited the well early on a Sunday morning. I found myself of a divided opinion about the perpetuation of the tradition. On the one hand, I love keeping old traditions alive and like that so many people want to be involved. On the other hand, it's obvious that many people are doin...
Read more

Cabo Rojo

-
Image
We took a trip down to The Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, which is located in the southeast corner of the island. Some claim the region's name, which directly translates to Cape Red, comes from the red-colored hypersalinated lagoons. Others say it stems from the color of the limestone cliffs. The Refuges features a subtropical dry forest, a lighthouse, and the salt flats. We followed a bumpy dirt road for a mile or two and came to a dead end in a parking "lot." A path meandered through the dry forest toward the lighthouse.   Unlike a desert, which tends to get minimal rain fall, a dry forest can receive a lot of precipitation. But it experiences long dry spells, often lasting months, that dictate the type of plant life that call it home. I saw a lot of coarse, leggy shrubs and cacti, like this beauty.  As we made our way to the lighthouse, we caught sight of what I believe is Boriquen Bay. It's a top-rated bathing beach with fine white sand and ca...
Read more