100mm macro

Do Ants Carry Ten Times Their Own Weight In Emotional Baggage?

May 16, 2023 — 20 Comments

F/8.0, 1/200, ISO 320.

Ant

Why was the baby ant confused?

Because all his uncles were ants.

Interesting Fact: Ants communicate with each other using pheromones, sounds, and touch.[71] The use of pheromones as chemical signals is more developed in ants, such as the red harvester ant, than in other hymenopteran groups. Like other insects, ants perceive smells with their long, thin, and mobile antennae. The paired antennae provide information about the direction and intensity of scents. Since most ants live on the ground, they use the soil surface to leave pheromone trails that may be followed by other ants. In species that forage in groups, a forager that finds food marks a trail on the way back to the colony; this trail is followed by other ants, these ants then reinforce the trail when they head back with food to the colony. When the food source is exhausted, no new trails are marked by returning ants and the scent slowly dissipates. This behaviour helps ants deal with changes in their environment. For instance, when an established path to a food source is blocked by an obstacle, the foragers leave the path to explore new routes. If an ant is successful, it leaves a new trail marking the shortest route on its return. Successful trails are followed by more ants, reinforcing better routes and gradually identifying the best path. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant#Behaviour_and_ecology )

 

It’s My Honey, And I Want It Now!

May 13, 2023 — 9 Comments

F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 500.

Bumble Bee

What do you call a bee born in May?

A maybe!

Interesting Fact: Unlike the honeybee, bumblebees will not die after stinging. They can sting as much as they want. Luckily, they are not aggressive and they will sting only in self defense. ( http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/bumblebee_facts/582/ )

Start Every Day With A Smile

May 30, 2021 — Leave a comment

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.

Azaleas

Why are trees very forgiving?

Because in the Fall they “Let It Go” and in the Spring they “turn over a new leaf”.

Interesting Fact:Azaleas/əˈzeɪliə/ are flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron, particularly the former sections Tsutsuji (evergreen) and Pentanthera (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks. Shade tolerant, they prefer living near or under trees. They are part of the family Ericaceae.

Blow Me

July 30, 2020 — 8 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 500.

Dandelion ( Taraxacum )

What did the alien dandelion say to the earthly dandelion?

Take me to your weader!

Interesting Fact: Dandelions are thought to have evolved about 30 million years ago in Eurasia.[18]Fossil seeds of †Taraxacum tanaiticum have been recorded from the Pliocene of southern Russia.[19] Dandelions have been used by humans for food and as a herb for much of recorded history.[20] “They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelions probably arrived in North America on the Mayflower – not as stowaways, but brought on purpose for their medicinal benefits,” according to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum#History )

Hi Honey!

September 19, 2019 — 6 Comments

F/5.0, 1/60, ISO 250.

Spider and Yellow Jacket Bee

What do you call an under cover spider?

A spy-der

Interesting Fact:  Anatomically, spiders differ from other arthropods in that the usual body segments are fused into two tagmata, the cephalothorax and abdomen, and joined by a small, cylindrical pedicel. Unlike insects, spiders do not have antennae. In all except the most primitive group, the Mesothelae, spiders have the most centralized nervous systems of all arthropods, as all their ganglia are fused into one mass in the cephalothorax. Unlike most arthropods, spiders have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead extend them by hydraulic pressure. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider )

I Just Did A Weeks Worth Of Cardio After Walking Into A Spider’s Web.

June 1, 2017 — 18 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.

Spider

How do spiders communicate?

Through the World Wide Web.

Interesting Fact: Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other orders of organisms.[2] Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization. As of November 2015[update], at least 45,700 spider species, and 113 families have been recorded by taxonomists.[1] However, there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider )

Behind Every Good Kid Is A Great MOM! ( Happy Mother’s Day )

May 14, 2017 — 6 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day to all mom’s out there!

F/3.5, 1/150, ISO 325.

Son: “Mom can I get twenty bucks”
Mom: Does it look like I am made of money
Son: “Well isn’t that what M.O.M stands for?”

Interesting Fact: In the United States, celebration of Mother’s Day began in the early 20th century. It is not related to the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood).[1][2][3][4] However, in some countries, Mother’s Day has become synonymous with these older traditions. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day )