I was reading the other day and the word “perception” jumped out of the page and got me thinking… wow… that is something that has improved in my life…
When I looked up the word… Google tells me that perception is…
the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
“the normal limits to human perception”
Source: Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages
Expanding on that… there is sight perception and visual perception — the ability to interpret what we see using light. Biologically it’s a complex process that involves the eyes, optic nerve, and brain.
When I see things in the natural world around me and in my daily life… I am applying “perception” and as in “visual perception” it refers to my brain’s ability to make sense of what my eyes see.
I smile to myself, thinking about this, as I have learnt that “perception” is something that can improve over time… as with my growing interest in the insect world. Whether it is viewed from a distance, so I can see the whole thing, or have an up-close look… a macro view that can indeed be quite personal…
A few years ago… I would walk pass a mound of dirt, on the ground, stuck to a rock or wall, and I would make a mental note (I see but not really)…
Mud nest of Potter Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs
Then, the more I walk pass these mounds, my blindness would slowly lift, and I would really start to see and to notice… such as all the insects around it, interacting, adding to the mud pile, creating nestings cells, filling it with food, laying their eggs, sealing the nest cell…
Sceliphron laetum creating a cell in the mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Sceliphron laetum filling the cell in the mud nest with paralysed spiders, Alice Springs NT
Sceliphron laetum filling the cell in the mud nest with paralysed spiders, Alice Springs NT
Sceliphron laetum filling a cell in the mud nest with paralysed spiders for the larva, Alice Springs NT
Caterpillar in 5th cell of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Caterpillars packed into the 12th cell of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei), Alice Springs NT
Caterpillars of the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) packed in the mud cell in mud nest of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei)
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) filling cell with caterpillars in mud nest, Alice Springs NT
My perception was improving, noting the different shapes and colour of sand used in the mound of dirt… more like mounds (plural)… the insect nests (is that singular with one mud nest or plural with multiple nest cells. Over time, the mounds of dirt, ages… occasionally abandoned after use, whilst other times, the owners returns, or is it their offsprings, or new guests taking up residence.
The rendered wall of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Sealed 12th cell of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) mud nest, Alice Springs NT
The rendered wall of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) mud nest, Alice Springs NT
14th cell of the Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) mud nest, Alice Springs NT
14th cell of the Delta latreillei mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli)
Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei) being used by other wasp species, Alice Springs, NT
Mud nest of the Potter Wasp, Alice Springs, NT
Mud nest of the Potter Wasp, Alice Springs, NT
The sealed cell of the of the mud nest of the Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei formerly Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Sealing the larva and food in the cell of the mud nest of the Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei formerly Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei formerly Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Potter wasp / Mud wasp nest on hook, Alice Springs, NT
Nest of the Mud Wasp with food for the larvae (Eumenes spp)
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli)
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli)
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli)
Nest of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli)
Mud nests of different species of wasps, Alice Springs NT
Of course, it became obvious when new tenants (I should say species) move in, as they are very different in appearanceto the original home builder…
Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons), Alice Springs, NT
Megachile aurifrons, Alice Springs, NT
Megachile aurifrons (Golden-browed Resin Bee), Alice Springs, NT
Megachile aurifrons (Golden-browed Resin Bee) sealing off the nest cell, Alice Springs, NT
Nesting behaviour of the Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons), Alice Springs, NT
Red Eyes of the Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons), Alice Springs, NT
Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons) capping the nest
Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons) capping the nest
Paralastor sp (subfamily Eumeninae) – small potter wasp, Alice Springs NT
Paralastor sp (subfamily Eumeninae) – small potter wasp, Alice Springs NT
Funnel of the mud nest by the small potter wasp Paralastor sp, Alice Springs NT
Funnel of the mud nest by the small potter wasp Paralastor sp, Alice Springs NT
Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii, Alice Springs NT
Golden-browed Resin Bee (Megachile aurifrons), Alice Springs, NT
Mud Wasp (Delta latreillei) being used by other wasp species, Alice Springs, NT
Stocking the larder of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Stocking the larder of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Stocking the larder of the Mud Wasp (Eumenes latreilli), Alice Springs, NT
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) filling cell with caterpillars in mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) starting to create the 7th cell in mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Potter Wasp (Eumenes latreilli) at mud nest, Alice Springs
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) building cell in mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Orange-tailed Potter Wasp (Delta latreillei) building cell in mud nest, Alice Springs NT
Mud nest tenants… in Alice Springs NT
Those piles of mud are still there… and with the passing of time, I wait and watch to see when the new tenants move in…