European Paper Wasp

It builds homes from wood.

But first, it needs water.

A paper wasp visits ponds and streams not to hunt, but to collect one of its most important building materials. Mixed with weathered wood and a little saliva, water becomes paper — the remarkably light material from which an entire colony is built.

Architecture, powered by rain.

Nikon Z9 - Nikkor Z MC 105 mm 1:2.8 VR S - ISO 2000 - f/14 - 1/3200