The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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Fall 2020
Pacific Northwest
Weather has turned chilly and stormy in the PacificNorthwest lately but until recently we were seeing the typical fall gorging on fallen fruit in the backyard — by insects. We don’t begrudge them the food since we won’t be eating pears and apples on the ground we weren’t quick enough to pick up.
I have three pear trees. Also one apple but it was done a month ago. I don’t remember the names of my fruit trees except for this one pear: Orcas. Named after a local island in the Salish Sea, bred for our local climate.
The wasps have been less active than usual this year, for whatever reason. Didn’t have to put out yellowjacket traps.
On this particular day I was out with the camera, it was Baldfaced hornets who were most active and abundant.
In this video, you can see ants as well as wasps and flies:
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More insect views (taken with zoom lens, 6-10 feet away):
The wasp you’ve been hearing about here in western Washington is the Asian Giant Hornet aka “murder hornet”, a recent invasive species first noticed in 2019 in Whatcom county, near the Canadian border. The county has been trying to track down their nests before the season closes down. The reason there’s concern about these hornets is not so much as a threat to humans but for their ability to decimate honeybees, killing an entire hive in a few hours.
Washington Dept of Agriculture has been trying to track the hornets to their nests before the season closes down. No luck so far on two attempts by attaching tracking devices.
Second giant 'murder hornet' escapes after it was captured by scientists in Washington
If you see a giant hornet, report it. Please don’t randomly squish insects that look like them since wasps and bees are important in the ecosystem and generally leave you alone if you don’t get too close (I took my photos with a zoom lens at maximum). Generally! — at this time of year they can get frantic and aggressive, so be alert, watch your step, avoid being near where they might be scavenging during warm weather. Possibly getting drunk on fermenting fruit.
Hornets are predators [and] scavengers, as are most wasps," says Gibbs. "From an evolutionary perspective, bees are also wasps." Wasps, like bees, are incredibly important pollinators, helping plant to keep plant life and agricultural crops healthy. They tend to chow down on caterpillars and harmful flies, too, making them beneficial to humans. That's one reason some places, like Germany, ban people from disturbing these creatures.
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they also love the sweet deliciousness of rotting, fermented fruit that falls to the ground in autumn. They'll gorge themselves to the point that they'll become drunkenly aggressive, sometimes chasing pets or people if they feel annoyed or threatened.
animals.howstuffworks.com/...
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Overcast today in the PNW islands today. Light breeze. Cool, temps in the 50s.
What’s up in nature in your area today?
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