Driskill Mountain
Louisiana
June 2012
Back to our summit hike, here on the formerly French land of Louisiana. To the right of our hiking path halfway to the top of the state is a beautifully formed, 30-inch high baldfaced hornet hive. The baldfaced hornet, like the bald eagle, is not bald. Its face has a pattern of white sections that, upon first glance by the members of the original Committee-That-Names-Things, make it look bald. Especially if you are not particularly sober. Or if you are so frightened of hornets that you are unwilling to look closely.
A couple of hornets boldly wheel around outside their paper nest, patrolling. They occasionally rest, y’know, nonchalantly lounging in their sleeveless T-shirts, smoking. Lisa and I are vitally focused, in the name of peace to all mankind and particularly other species who sting, on not disturbing their reverie. These insects are known to be quite aggressive, repeatedly stinging victims whom they consider a threat to the homeland. We gladly yield to their security system.
I have very little time to take this photograph because, well, as I say, this is a dangerous species. I ask one of them to hold still for the brief moment it would take to line up my view but he just lights up another cigarette and nods in the direction of the trail. We quickly and respectfully move on.