Well this piece took far longer than expected! My aim was to have it done by the end of July but life just got in the way for awhile. The aim was to create kits of this design and, while it would still be good to do that at some point, I need to move on to a new exciting project with a deadline (which I will post about in the next few days). So in the meantime, here is my simplified embroidery of a European hornet. The European hornet is a magnificent creature, it's large size can seem intimidating but, while they do have a nasty sting, they are considered the Teddy bears of the wasp family and avoid conflict where possible. They build complex paper nests and will protect them at all costs. The recent press regarding Asian hornets (murder hornets in the US) has led to many people killing native hornets in error so it is worth trying to note a couple of the differences: Asian hornet's legs have yellow tips as opposed to dark brown or black, they are smaller and have a darker abdomen with only thin yellow stripes. If you're not sure try and take a photo, sightings of Asian hornets need to be reported.
