Nature
awild | November 11, 2009Solenopsis pergandei queen and workers
Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, diffused twin flash
awild | November 9, 2009The following is a guest post from millipede expert Paul Marek.
The eerie glow of a Motyxia millipede (photo by P. Marek)
I study millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae (order Polydesmida). These millipedes contain hydrogen cyanide as a defensive chemical and use aposematic coloration to warn predators of their toxicity. Coloration patterns in these species include bright yellows, oranges, reds, and violet.
One nocturnal genus in this family, Motyxia, known only from California, does not display conspicuous coloration. These millipedes do something even more remarkableâthey produce a…
awild | October 27, 2009
A Solenopsis invicta queen attempts to escape a pair of tormentors
Life is perilous for young ant queens. This fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is being pursued by native Forelius ants after her mating flight in central Florida. She frantically climbs a grass blade to escape, but to no avail- the attackers follow. She will make an excellent source of protein to feed the Forelius larvae.
Two larger points about this photo. First, establishing new colonies is tremendously difficult. The founding stage is when most colony-level mortality happens, and this excessive mortality is why ant nests…
awild | October 22, 2009A sampling of face patterns in Polistes fuscatus paper wasps
Polistes fuscatus paper wasps sport a bewildering array of facial markings. Why is this?
A new paper by Michael Sheehan and Elizabeth Tibbetts in the journal Evolution suggests natural selection may favor rare patterns, leading to a proliferation of diversity. Sheehan & Tibbetts performed an elegant experiment on 18 groups of 4 foundress queens, painting three wasps with one pattern and the remaining one with a different pattern. Regardless of the details of the actual face markings, the rare pattern consistently received…
awild | October 15, 2009It's Thursday night. Here's a tick:
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper
awild | October 13, 2009Male (left) and female Diapheromera femorata
Myrmecos blog commentators identified Sunday's mystery photo almost instantly as a stick insect laying an egg. The species is the Northern Walking Stick Diapheromera femorata, a common local insect easily collected by beating tree branches. We've taken a few home as pets, and the females are obligingly dropping several eggs a day.
The eggs of D. femorata resemble plant seeds
Photo details (top): Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/200 sec
(bottom): Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13, 1…
awild | October 11, 200910 points to the first person who can identify this:
Another 10 to the first person who can explain its myrmecological significance.
grrlscientist | October 8, 2009tags: park, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Park in Helsinki, Finland.
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, from Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I really like this image, and the bridge, too. It's very Monet-esque, don't you think?
Here's a closer look at that bridge. I am not sure what those pipes house, does anyone else have a guess? There's power lines (above) so clearly, it isn't that;
Park Bridge in Helsinki, Finland.
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, from Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist…
grrlscientist | October 6, 2009tags: dock, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Public dock in downtown Helsinki, Finland.
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, from Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Here is a lovely public dock located in downtown Helsinki (yes, that's a waterfall in the center). Standing there reminded me -- powerfully -- of the day when I sailed across Lake Washington from Seattle to Bellevue, tied up in a waterpark there that looks remarkably similar to this while I got a cup of coffee before sailing back to Seattle.
Below is the…
grrlscientist | October 5, 2009tags: flowers, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Canna Lily cultivar, probably "The President".
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, to Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: flowers, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Flower blossom (Ginger? Canna Lily cultivar).
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, to Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Is this one of the many domestic ginger cultivars or is it a real species? If so, which one?
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: house, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A road through the woods in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: nature, birds, Antarctica, emperor penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri, David Attenborough, streaming video
This is a chance to see amazing images from deep inside the frozen inland areas of Antarctica. The BBC natural history masterpiece, Planet Earth, documents the gruelling and heroic winter life of male Emperor Penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri, that breed in almost impossibly cold temperatures. Narrated by the incomparable David Attenborough.
grrlscientist | September 28, 2009tags: nature, mammals, Antarctica, blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, National Geographic, streaming video
Researchers on a National Geographic expedition seek answer some mysteries surrounding Blue Whales, Balaenoptera musculus, and find tantalizing clues, but big questions remain unanswered.
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: landscape, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Looking out over the water from Seurasaari (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009tags: flowers, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A mystery flower Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria graminea, photographed on Seurasaari (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: nature, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A view of the Seurasaari beach (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
awild | September 25, 2009Nicrophorus orbicollis, Sexton Beetle, Illinois
The intrepid students of IB 468 caught this beautiful black burying beetle during a field trip to Dixon Springs, Illinois. They were kind enough to let me photograph it before it went to the collection.
Rather than me blathering on about this insect's biology, I'll direct you instead to the N. orbicollis wikipedia page. Wikipedia is normally hit-or-miss with regard to insects, but the page for N. orbicollis is an example of the medium at its best.
One thing about carrion beetles, though. Pretty, yes. But they smell terrible, and I spent…
grrlscientist | September 24, 2009tags: nature, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
A tree behind the Seurasaari Ravintola (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)