Ecology
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Tiny Bodyguards in the Mango Trees Imagine walking through a mango orchard and spotting leaves tangled together into strange green bundles. Look closer and you might find hundreds of tiny reddish ants marching aggressively along branches, guarding their leafy kingdom. These are weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina; nature’s tiny orchard bodyguards. For centuries, farmers in parts…
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In nature, the way species interact with each other can be broken down into different categories. Mutualism is an interaction where both individuals benefit, altruism is where one individual benefits the other at their own cost, commensalism is where one species benefits without any impact to the other, and parasitism is where one individual benefits…
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Have you ever seen a butterfly egg? Most people haven’t. When we think of young butterflies we most often imagine a munching caterpillar, decimating the leaves of its host plant. Its soft, wriggling body working its way down the leaf stem, bearing the lush foliage naked. Each species of butterfly has one or more species…
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Ants are everywhere. They crawl across forest floors, march along sidewalks, and quietly build vast underground networks beneath our feet. These tiny insects live in highly organized societies where thousands of individuals work together to gather food, defend their colony, and care for their young. But ants are not just excellent workers, they are also…
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Photograph of a Blue Butterfly, credit Tony Hisgett 2010
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