Vespula vulgaris © Harry Mole 2017

I spotted this wasp on the slate in the back garden this morning. It looked very sluggish so I made a mental note to check on it later. A few hours later it was still alive, still there and it didn’t protest when I popped it onto a porcelain tile to photograph. It’s a common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) – according to Nature Spot you can distinguish it from similar species (like the German wasp Vespula germanica) by the anchor shaped mark on its face. Obviously not in this picture you can’t.