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The Prairie Ecologist
Essays, photos, and discussion about prairie ecology, restoration, and management
A reflective , if unrealistic moment for an ant …”-hatched with dancer’s legs ,” the other worker ants always said of me…aw, wait, is that… ?” ( you can almost hear the little guy thinking quietly to himself, ” oh, crap!” ) I’m choosing to believe the little ant had a moment or two to plan a succesful get- away ! There is enough alternative prey out there for a sun- warmed spider capable of moving lickety- split to consume, after all!
But you , sir, truly have an artist’s eye. What an amazing moment to catch ! I stumbled onto your blog while reading – you guessed it- the bit about the boxelder bug posing for some cool new camera gear you’d acquired. ( Im of the same attitude toward boxelder bugs; I think they’re friendly and unobtrusive , and have noticed how quickly they’ve learned that the human in the house ( me) actually puts water on several thicknesses of folded one inch paper towels for them to drink from with their amazing foldable ” true bug” crazy- straws. So I get repeat visitors, there on the bookshelf that’s deeper than the books Ive parked there , with a doubled washcloth for the folded paper towel drinking stations to sit on. I can tell there are repeat visitors , because one little boxelder bug had a limp and was missing a leg on his right side a few winters ago. He was particulary jumpy, understandably. The others seem quite confident of where to go when in need of a bit of hydrating , once shown where it is the first time ‘ round!
I also enjoy noticing nature’s detail as well as things Ive not noticed before , such as the small eyes behind a boxelder bug’s large set of eyes!
And I’m not happy if Im not learning , so I believe I’ll visit your blog again. Ive never read anyone’s blog before, ( no, not kidding!) but seeing as Im also a writer / author , songwriter, illustrator, artist, photographer, and erstwhile naturalist , I’ll consider your blog MY feeding station , or my place to find a cool drink of water when Im thirsty. Thank you . ( I’ll be the jumpy human with the limp!) ;)