While I was still holding the camera.

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Another Memory Shot that defies image quality but tells a story.

My husband was doing some lawn clean up when he came across a wasp nest. He let it be, but the wasps were disturbed enough to chase after me later on our upper deck. I'm mildly allergic to bee and wasp venom, so I absolutely didn't want to get stung. But this one wasp kept going after me. Not being able to move away & not know what else to do, I held my camera up to keep him off of me. The glass lens attracted him and he landed. Instinct told me to push the shutter button. Obviously smack against the glass, he was too close to get a focus on. Still, I got this shot to remember the episode. Different. But so was having the underside of a wasp planted against the lens of the camera I was holding.

No, I didn't get stung. He must have been a non-aggressive species. Still, I'm going to have to be extra careful durig the next few days because these wasps were not at all happy about having their nest breached by my husband. They are now kind of erratic in behavior.

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When someone told me that this is probably a European Hornet, I looked it up:

What to Know:

Appearance: They’re bigger than most wasps, with a rust-colored head and yellow-striped abdomen.
Behavior: European hornets are social and build large paper nests, often in hollow spaces like walls or trees.

Risk: While not typically aggressive unless provoked, their sting can be painful. People allergic to bee or wasp venom should be especially cautious.

Recent Sightings: Thanks to unseasonably warm weather, these hornets have been spotted more frequently in trees and even near homes in Kansas City.