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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/ )

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 )

You Are What You Eat! …Nuts

June 10, 2020 — 10 Comments

F/6.3, 1/200, ISO 320.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Why don’t squirrels wear skinny jeans?

Because their nuts won’t fit.

Interesting Fact: Eastern gray squirrels have an excellent sense of smell, which they use to help locate food that they’ve hidden away. They can also pick up information about their fellow squirrels by smelling them.  ( http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/eastern-gray-squirrel )

 

Be Yourself Everyone Is Already Taken!

July 28, 2019 — 18 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Killdeer

Why do golfers wear two pairs of pants?

In case they get a hole in one!

Interesting Fact: Killdeer lay their eggs into an empty nest but add other materials later on. Some of these items they pick up as they are leaving and toss over their shoulder into the nest. In one nest in Oklahoma, people found more than 1,500 pebbles had accumulated this way. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/lifehistory )

 

Let’s Get Little Bit Closer

August 4, 2016 — 10 Comments

flower

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Why can’t you iron four-leaf clover?

Because you shouldn’t press your luck!!

Interesting Fact: Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture.[28] The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as floriography. Some of the more common examples include:

  • Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.[29]
  • Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.
  • Irises/Lily are used in burials as a symbol referring to “resurrection/life”. It is also associated with stars (sun) and its petals blooming/shining.
  • Daisies are a symbol of innocence.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower#Symbolism )