Here's something that wasn't in the rhododendron the last time I checked!
It's kind of fun, as an antidote to bending over and digging out horsetail, dandelions, and buttercups, to stand up straight and snap off the spent bloom stalks on the rhododendrons. Apparently it helps them set bigger, healthier buds for next year's show. So there I was, not thinking about much, breaking off the deadheads, pop, pop, pop - when all of a sudden I realized there was a buzzing sound, and it was getting louder, and - "OW!" It wasn't really a sting, more like a little warning nibble from one of wasps who'd been carefully building this nest. What an intricate job! If you look at the big leaf on the lower left, you can see that they've built the nest right over and around it, for extra stability. Despite that, my tidying had them lurching and swaying all over the place. I said "AGH", and went and got the geek, who's very easily enticed by the prospect of photographing bugs of any sort.
