The antennae do not have the orange tips characteristic of that species. Not certain which species these represent.

Could this wasp be in the subfamily Polbiinae? Peterson (1970 ed.) states Polbiinae are “Similar to Polistinae but 1st abdominal segment slender and stalklike. These wasps occur in the Gulf States …”

I'm definitely right on the Gulf Coast. I have noticed a yellow stalk at a certain angle. I have not been able to get a good shot of it, as they tend to look at me.

This is definitely a Polistes. There are three tribes of paper wasps in the New World, the Polistini (which includes Polistes), Mischocyttarini (which includes Mischocyttarus) and the Epiponini (which includes around 20 swarm founding genera, mostly in the tropics).

The Polybiini/Polybiinae used to include Mischocyttarus and the swarm-founding species, but has been split into the two groups I mentioned above (and Polybiini no longer exists). Mischocyttarus has a very slender first abdominal segment and is very easily separated from Polistes by this.

Thank you for your help. I am finding quite a few classification changes since Peterson(1970 ed.) Still, it'ss the only guide with good technical descriptions and comprenhensive venation disgrams. BTW did the lateral photo help?

for giving the incorrect ID.

I had already eliminated P. annularis, P. fuscatus and most others. There are little differences with these wasps. I going to shoot some different angles tonight. Then there's the hive/nest.

seems to be distinctive, in that all of them have the same pattern. I'm really not sure which species this would be but I'm not really an expert
could this be P. metricus?

The nest looks like more typical P. metricus, and they are abundant in this location, but without seeing the bulge on sternite 2, we can't be sure. It could be P. fuscatus.

In Houston, P. metricus and P. fuscatus are almost exactly the same in coloration. The only way to sort them is by seeing a lateral view of the second sternite.

beautiful blue wings. could this just be from this photo?

I have found that many wasps have dark blue, somewhat iridescent wings. Most of the time, they look black until light hits them just right.