All of the berries are ripening one right after the other. First the raspberries, then the boysenberries and now the wild blackberries are ready. While I was picking the end of the boysenberries there was a sudden burst of activity and it was from the wasps that we also call yellow jackets! There were two very plump and juicy berries waiting for the picking. I reached again past this buzzing business and more wasps were everywhere. Once I was able to see right into the patch of briars, there was a beautifully sculpted, half dome shaped, and every bit as big as my palm, wasp nest. I must have disturbed these mighty pollinators reaching for the yummy berries.
Once I realized what I was up against, I stepped back to watch. The wasps calmed down, but one wasp remained in a vibrational dance alert on top of the nest as if to signal the worker wasps to get back to business. Well, the encounter with the wasp family ended happily as we parted ways. They kept the berries and I left without a bite or a sting. So I am now off to pick the wild berries and leave the rest of the boysenberries to our yellow jacket friends.
