Your Backyard: More than a Playground. Chapter I: Making New Friends of Old Friends

Ant War? Many of my friends call me Bug-eyed Bernie because, well, because they are bugs. Actually, they are insects - and they are scared. Read on below.

Your Backyard: More than a Playground

Chapter I: Making New Friends of Old Friends

Bug-eyed Bernie

   My name is Bernie. That’s my 'people' name. But many of my friends call me Bug-eyed Bernie because, well, because they are bugs. Actually, they are insects. 

   Only some of the insects are true bugs. You might think to call me by a nickname like BB, but that would confuse my Bumblebee friends who go by BB. Or you might think to call me bug-eyed, but that would confuse me with lots of bugs with big eyes. Let's just go with Bernie for now. 

   Some of my friends are kind of shy so I won’t tell you exactly where I live. I will tell you I live in Jericho, Vermont, where we still have native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. This has been sort of a not so well kept secret. Lots of people come to live here for just that reason. They like the close proximity to nature. Unfortunately, sometimes people bring their non-native plants with them. My insect friends are not too fond of non-native plants. Is there a vegetable that you think is totally disgusting and should not be considered food? Well, that is how my friends think about plants like turf grass. 

   I am writing down stuff about my insect friends before any more of them die of starvation, or being too hot, or too wet, or doused with chemicals, or have no place they can call home and raise their families. If more people learn how cool these insect friends are, we can take more steps to help them survive and live with us. My friends tell me they are scared. I tell them people are good at heart. People respect the life of all organisms. They just need to know how big LIFE is, even when the organism is very small, even so small you need to get very close to see them. 

   “To have any power, hope must be strengthened by wisdom about what motivates action and enables success." - The Sergentii Rules - Sean Carroll

   I tell my wisest insect friends (the Bees and Dragonflies) I have strong hope. 

   My life used to be pretty normal. As a kid, I loved to play outside. I was outside when it was warm and sunny; when it was raining so hard you could swing a bat at the drops and hit a home run, when it was so cold if you touched anything you stuck to it - and that was with gloves on. My brothers and sisters and I always found things to play with outside: Sticks, snowballs, leaves, flowers, water - nature toys. We made pancakes in mud puddles, built cabins in the woods, and created a maze of secret pathways in farm hay fields and wild fields of tall forbs. 

   We never wanted to go inside, even in the winter when darkness hid the bottom of the hill we were sliding towards. In the summer, we would explore streams, ponds, woodlands,  and especially our own backyard. The number of critters of all shapes, colors, sizes, and capabilities we discovered in our yard seemed endless. We spent hours watching a ‘praying' mantis stalk its prey, then sit up like a dog to munch down dinner and even say grace beforehand. 

   Then, I became an adult or at least took on adult ways. I no longer had the time to experience the pleasures of exploration and discovery in nature - of being outside exploring wildlife, both plants and animals. And to make matters worse, my sisters and brothers, and mom and dad moved to California. That is over 3,000 miles away. Yes, we can talk by phone and email, but it is not the same as seeing each other all the time. I missed my family, and I missed critters. I still had a bird feeder, so I did enjoy birding. But that just made me hungrier for more creatures in my life. 

   One day, during a bird walk with a small group of birders, I diverted off the path with one of the other birders. I think we were following a butterfly. Or maybe it was a bird that wasn’t abiding by the people's rule of flying near the well-trodden path. At any rate, we started talking about the plants and insects we were finding. And so I found a new friend who, like me, seemed to be re-discovering a simmering interest and almost forgotten joy of exploring and finding all kinds of creatures. His name is Don. 

   Don is a smart guy. He was a professor in college. He studied many animals and insects in great detail throughout his career. Now, he does almost the same thing, not for work but purely for the joy of doing so. Whenever we find a new insect, at least new to us, Don asks many questions about the creature. Usually, it is me asking the questions, and Don has the answers like the Latin name and strange life behaviors of the particular species. But when the creature is one neither of us has seen before, we both have more questions than answers, so we look even more studiously. As we watch, the insect’s behaviors answer some of our questions. 

   You should meet my Ant I told Don. You really should come to my house and see my Ant’s house. It is huge. The house towers over nearly everything around it. And gosh is it hard. I tried kicking it and nearly broke a toe. I tried shoveling it but could not get a nick into it. Don asked, “Where does your aunt live?” To which I replied, “My ant and her whole family - hundreds of them - live in our backyard.” Then Don caught on to my play with words. Oh, he said, you are talking about the family Formicidae. 

   Later Don told me a great deal about another ant in our backyard that I found on a willow. We think that one is a Cherry Acrobat Ant. Its Latin name is Crematogaster cerasi. They are also known as the Valentine Ant, based on the shape of the gaster. It looks heart-shaped. (Gaster or abdomen contains the ant's vital organs and reproductive parts). 

Cherry Acrobat Ant Crematogaster cerasi

ID confirmation pending. 

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/159741676

 

   Don pointed out the two prongs sticking forward. Many ants have this character in some groups. We wondered what they are used for? Maybe for cooking marshmallows over a fire. Ha just kidding - though I bet they would not turn down a nice tasty toasty marshmallow.  

   Crematogaster cerasi are omnivorous. This means that they can eat both non-vegetarian foods as well as plants and seeds. They eat dead bugs and smaller insects. They also consume nectar of flowers. Their enemies (predators) consist of spiders, rodents, beetles, birds, and sometimes but not often, black bears. Having this many known predators makes them a necessary part of the ecosystem. - Wikipedia

 Some ants are parasites of other species. Others aren't just parasites, they simply kill other ants in their path.  

Eastern Ant-Queen Kidnapper (Aphilanthops frigidus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/175277895

Eastern Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56534733

Small ant mound

   Did you know that myrmecologists are people who focus on the scientific study of ants? Some early myrmecologists considered ant society as the ideal form of society and sought to find solutions to human problems by studying them.

     “Field ants get their name for their preference of nesting out in the open. Producing large mounds in lawns, playgrounds, and parks, field ants nest close to humans. With mounds reaching up to three feet wide and up to two feet tall.  

   Ant mounds are built by worker ants that remove below-ground soil they excavate during tunneling and nest chamber construction. That soil is then deposited above ground, thus forming the mound. The ant mound has three major purposes. The mound serves as the entrance to the below-ground nest; the mound helps control the nest’s internal temperature; and it helps protect the nest from predators or other intruders that might damage or destroy the nest. Ant mounds usually consist of fine particles of soil or perhaps bits of plant material.”                  - Orkin Company

   We still don’t know for sure who my aunt Ant’s (with the big house) species name is. We will have to do more observing next summer. In the meantime, I will be on the lookout this winter for more houses in our backyard. I am so happy to have so many of my insect friends making a home in our backyard.

   Some ants have a working relationship with another creature.

    “Woolly aphids are an important resource for natural biological controls such as lacewings, lady beetles, hover flies, and parasitic wasps. Tolerance of aphid presence is one way to encourage beneficial insects.” - Iowa State University

    “Aphids are plant-juice-suckers. They stick their mouthparts in the plant of their choice and drink far more sap than a critter that size would seem to need (it comes out under pressure, too). Why? They’re after the sugars (the carbs) in the sap, but they also need nitrogen, which is present in very small quantities. Young insects, especially, need nitrogen to build proteins—protein is made up of amino acids, and nitrogen is an ingredient of amino acids. The strategy—drink LOTS AND LOTS of plant juices to pick up sufficient nitrogen, and jettison the unwanted carbs in the form of a sweet substance called honeydew.

  Honeydew is a desirable commodity in the world of invertebrates. If left alone, aphids simply drop their honeydew on surrounding leaves, where it acts like a shiny magnet for flies, wasps, bees, and other vegetarians. But aphids, and other Homopterans like treehoppers and scales, are often seen in the company of ants. 

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/187379457 Wooly Alder Aphids (Prociphilus tessellatus)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/193075110 NY Carpenter Ants (Camponotus novaeboracensis)

   These ant guardians care for their flocks, defend them from predators, and even transport them to greener pastures. The payoff is that the ants may “milk” the aphids, harvesting the honeydew directly from the source and transporting it to their nests (some ant species have specialized “tanker ants”). Research has shown that a “farmed” aphid produces more honeydew during its life than an “un-farmed” one, and according to entomologist Debbie Hadley “Some aphid species have lost the ability to poop on their own, and now depend on their caretaker ants to milk them.” The Minnesota DNR cautions us that “while the honeydew excreted by the aphids is very sweet, it is mixed with aphid waste materials, so licking the honeydew off your car windshield is not recommended.”” - University of Wisconsin

   I tried licking the honeydew off the alder. After that instruction to not do it, how could I not? You should try it too! Just kidding. The ants were not happy with me doing so, the aphids were not happy with me doing so, and it tasted not so good. I chalked it down to another experiment and discovery. I think I will stick to good old-fashioned maple syrup, thank you. 

American Winter Ant (Prenolepis imparis)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189712481

 Shivering to stay warm or a blurry photo!

   “Prenolepis imparis, commonly known as the winter ant, false honey ant, or false honeypot ant, is a species of ant in the genus Prenolepis. The species is found in North America, from Canada to Mexico, nesting deep within the ground. Unusual among ants, Prenolepis imparis prefers lower temperatures, including near freezing, and is only active outside the nest during winter and early spring. Prenolepis imparis enters a hibernation-like state called aestivation during the summer.

   P. imparis secretes an opaque white liquid from its abdomen as a defense against other ants.” - Wikipedia

   I think we should put the American Winter Ant up for the True Vermonter Insect Award. Why? Because they prefer lower temperatures, including freezing. I wonder if American Winter Ants have been sledding down the hill in our backyard. That would explain those tiny lines in the snow. I wonder if they can skate too? Maybe I will toss out some raisins so they can use them for hockey pucks. 

Immigrant Pavement Ant (Tetramorium immigrans)

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/178358095

This looks like (ant) WAR

but it is likely great social activity. 

 

   The Immigrant Pavement Ant is native to Europe. Its common name comes from the fact that colonies in North America usually make their nests under pavement. During the late spring and early summer, colonies attempt to conquer new areas and often attack nearby enemy colonies. This results in huge sidewalk battles, sometimes leaving thousands of ants dead. In summer, the ants dig out the sand between the pavements to vent their nests.[citation needed] Pavement ants were studied on the International Space Station in 2014. They will eat almost anything, including other insects, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, meats, nuts, ice cream, and cheese. - Wikipedia

   No way am I giving them any of my ice cream! But still, I will call them my friends. They provide hours of entertainment and they inspire me to work hard and get along with my fellow citizens. 

   Now you have met a few of my friends and a friend who is a friend of my friends (Don). We started here with A for Ants. Perhaps you might wish to read about another of my backyard neighbors, Clara. She is smart, sweet, and a good mom. You will like her. Oh, did I tell you she is a Bumblebee?

Read her story at https://vtbugeyed.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-80-year-condensed-life-of-clara-bee.html. 

Remember: New Nature Comic every Saturday at https://vtbugeyed.blogspot.com/2023/09/nature-inspired-single-panel-comics-by.html

  Stay tuned for more chapters of “Your Backyard: More than a Playground”. 

- Bug-eyed Bernie

                       Inverting (insect watching) is observing, 

    experiencing the multitude, diversity 

              and the daily going ons of LIFE.

No bones about it, I am an 'inverter'!

 New York Carpenter Ant on an Aster flower. 

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/136839460 

New York Carpenter Ant Camponotus novaeboracensis

Wildlife Science News: Ants & Forest Health, Mapping Migratory Birds - National Wildlife Federation

Tiny ants play a big role in forest health, mapping migratory bird hotspots, prairie potholes as pollution catchers and more wildlife and science news

By Mark Wexler Scope Sep 27, 2023

Tiny Ants Play Big Role In Forest Health

One hallmark of old-growth northeastern deciduous forests in spring is the dazzling display of violets, trilliums, wild ginger and other wildflowers that carpet the forest floor. In newer secondary forests, such spring ephemerals tend to be scarce—and in recent research published in Ecology, scientists say one explanation may be a lack of woodland ants. According to researchers at Binghamton University, several ant species in the genus Aphaenogaster (above) are critical dispersers of the seeds of native understory wildflowers. “These plants evolved with seeds that have an appendage rich in fats, and that’s very attractive to woodland ants,” says lead author Carmela Buono, a doctoral candidate in biological sciences. The insects take the seeds to their nest—where they are safe underground from seed predators such as rodents—and later “plant” the seeds outside the nest. The scientists say low numbers of woodland ants in regenerated forests stems from several factors, including competition with invasive slugs that thrive on former agricultural lands. To restore the health of these newer forests, “we need to look beyond trees to the diversity of insects,” Buono says. Ants may not be as charismatic as pollinators like bees and butterflies, she adds, “but they are just as important.”