Here in the mountains fermenting persimmons have drawn many butterflies as well as European Hornets, Vespa crabro. These large insects have been in North America since the 1800s. When I say “large” I mean 1.25” – LARGE. They dine on insects such as bees, flies, and grasshoppers. As summer begins to wind down and the populations of their insect meals dwindle they concentrate on sweets such as rotting fruit and hummingbird syrup. And they aren’t happy to share – often chasing the hummingbirds away.