Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

The Wasps and I are Done By Mary J Williams © Okay, that’s it I am finally done Feeding the wasps Is no longer fun I was being sweet And cut up some grapes I threw them in the flower box Didn’t think about it till too late I upset a couple of wasps Flew at me as I was standing there One landed on my shirt I thought one was in my hair I shooed away the one That was on my shirt He flew onto my arm If it stings, it’s going to hurt I moved towards the door Thought the wasp flew away I went inside my house The wasp came in to stay Oh no you don’t You aren’t welcome inside I got my dishcloth Whipped it out, I tried Realized he didn’t leave My swipe at him did no good He was there between The glass and the screen Got him down at the bottom Opened the door wide Did another flip with the cloth “Be Gone”, I cried! Now my skin is crawling I feel like they are all over me That’s the end of the feeding Live or die, what will be, will be!

  This Old Lady Feeds Wasps By Mary J Williams Walked on the deck last night It was after 8 p. m. The wasps were still there What’s the matter with them? I did some exploring on Google To learn as much as I could About the Yellow Jackets The wasps that are up to no good Most aggressive wasp in the U.S. They have venom in their sting Fall is their worst time Freezing weather, death will bring Most live in the ground Buildings are for some Hope you don’t get close to a nest They will chase you if you come I put out some pear pieces Thought the birds would enjoy But as stated before The wasps took over, oh boy! Last night when I was out I noticed the pears almost gone This morning what did I do At the crack of dawn? I rummaged in the fridge, found some grapes that I had Punched a hole in two Didn’t want the wasps to get mad I threw those grapes into the flower box then Wasps were flying around Hopefully staying away from me again How many old ladies Do you know, besides me That’s just...

 I have to tell you, before you read the poem, this has totally amazed me! The Yellow Jackets have been here before, eating the grape jelly I put out for the birds. Before long, no birds were eating the jelly just the Yellow Jackets. By the way, I did look them up and they are  Eastern yellowjacket - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org  › wiki › Eastern_yellowjacket The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) is a wasp found in eastern North America. Habitat Forests, meadows and forest edges, including urban and suburban environments. Like in all Vespula, colonies are normally subterranean, or sometimes at ground level in stumps and fallen logs. In deciduous forest, nest entrances frequently situated under tree roots or adjacent to logs on the ground. Of 40 colonies confirmed as this species in western Pennsylvania, 34 were subterranean, 3 were in exterior walls of buildings, 1 was beneath a tree stump, 1 was in the roots of a fallen tree, and 1...

Starling - Deer - Wasps and Me By Mary J Williams © Standing at the sink Looking in the tree Are those a ton of Grackles Nope, Starlings they be I was about to go out And scare them away But my little Rosebud Beat me with a bay She thought I saw a critter Barking did commence All those many Starlings Took flight, and it was dense I looked out again As I let the dogs out I walked on the deck To give a big shout Starlings were there In that tree again I glanced down And then I had a grin Wishing I had my camera There in my hand As a pretty doe Was there on my land Of course, Rosebud Just had to see her I saw the flag go up And she left in a blur Then I saw another tail Another made three Deer in my yard I couldn’t be more pleased! No pictures did I get Of the pretty deer But did get pictures of wasps That have been so near!

Wasps are Dumb By Mary J Williams © I think wasps are dumb At least around water they are They sit on the edge of the birdbath But that’s not only how far One little slip That’s all it takes And the family members Will be holding a wake There has been one And then there were two Now the counts way up Twenty or more will do They sip at the water The slide right in Drown themselves in water That drink was the end Not much I can do I have tried to save a few But I’m not outside 24-7 Maybe tiny feet, add glue? Ah, well, I guess it’s just nature The hardy will survive If it’s not their time They surely won’t die