Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul
Fascinating! At first I assumed it might be some kind of gall wasp. (Such wasps as larvae cause the plant to develop a gall which acts as a nursery for a developing wasp.)
HOWEVER, your last pic does NOT fit that hypothesis. It is very clear that the structure is merely attached to the plant. As a guess I would say it is definitely a wasp nest. It looks like something along the lines of a mud-dabber wasp's nest except it is made out of some other material. If it is a relative, then you have nothing to worry about sting-wise unless you sit on or grab one and they are solitary, not colonial creatures. The nest likely has been stuffed with caterpillars or some other insect type (possibly even arachnid) to serve as a food source for the larva within. Oh and the wasp must have been female -- males do not make nests.
Hopefully, Dave will be able to get an ID for you from his bug ID site or, if you don't mind, I can make a link to your post to an identification site (may or may not be the same site Dave is thinking of) to see if we can get your guest a name. 
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Thanks, Paul. I don't mind the link at all. I wish the photo of the bug hadn't turned out blurry. I'm sure it would have been useful. He was short (1/4" or maybe a little longer) and his behind was rounder and didn't have the defined elongated waistline that wasps usually have.
I've never seen a worm in the area where this plant is growing. There are a few ants and they like my orchids. My pitcher plant's pitchers frequently capture small brown wasps. Once in a while I'll see a snail but they haven't been a problem. On occasion I've seen very small spiders. Tree frogs and lizards are everywhere and they help to keep insect populations to a minimum. There is a mud dauber nest in my back yard and paper wasps set up house in my mailbox sometimes. Butterflies, moths and Dragonflies occupy my back yard but I don't usually see them in my front yard pocket garden where this bumpy thing is located. Hopefully my description of nearby insects will lend a clue to the identity of the bug in question. I don't recall ever seeing one of "his kind" before.
Thank you for your help.
June
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