Ponerine ant (Ponerini)
Ponerine ants like this live their lives in forest soils and feed on other arthropods.
Ponerine ants like this live their lives in forest soils and feed on other arthropods.
The Spangled Skimmer grows to nearly 2 inches long. Each of the 4 wings has a white spot beside a black spot on the outer leading edge. Males are blue with a dark head. Females are dark brown with lengthwise yellow stripes, and darkish wingtips. Ranging throughout eastern United States, this species can be found…
Trying to find an alternative to the fountain of youth? The first use of a type of fungi called Ganoderma Lucidum can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, and was dubbed “The Mushroom of Immortality” in the Book of Han. The Trametes Elegans mushroom is a common polypore and wood-decay fungus with a pantropical distribution found on hardwood hosts in…
Something comical about other animals experiencing the struggles of our human lives. Here a collared ant is dragging a dead carpenter ant back to its nest, when the claws of the dead ant get stuck on the bark. There’s something cathartic and endearing about the ensuing struggle. American Bird Grasshopper Banded Pennant Forcepfly (Merope tuber)…
Among the many species of rattlesnake, timber rattlers are the only species in the area. They have powerful venom that is medically significant to humans; however bites are uncommon due to their mild disposition. Despite issuing a characteristic warning sound, they are actually slow to strike. Individuals live 9–10years and primarily feed on rodents. American…
The Calico Pennant is a colorful, beautifully marked dragonfly. A key identifier for this species is the dark spot that occurs short of the wing tip. This spot is positioned next to the leading edge of the wing, and it does not extend as a band to the trailing edge of the wing. This dragonfly…
Camel crickets are large, abundant insects common to forests across the US. But they are rarely noticed, partly because they’re nocturnal. Here are two camel crickets that left their underground daylight hiding place to feed on a mushroom at night. Female tiny parasitic wasp (Eupelmidae) with an interesting jumping mechanism crawling over tree bark-likely Anastatus…