Saturday, June 10, 2006
A midnight snack with friends
During the last two weeks of my recent trip, I shared a room with a marvelous colony of ants. I think they were Dolichoderus laminatus; if my identification is in error, one of my many myrmecologist friends will undoubtedly correct it, so watch this space.
I did sample a few of their number (the ants, not the myrmecologists) for experiments, but felt a bit churlish for collecting my own roommates, so almost every night I shared a bit of jam or peanut butter with them. They were exceptionally fond of my peach preserves:
In fact, they were rendered so placid by gifts of food that I was able to successfully practice my close-up shots with the new camera while they were feeding. For everyone who knew that I'd have some of the local insects eating out of my hand: You were absolutely right.
I did sample a few of their number (the ants, not the myrmecologists) for experiments, but felt a bit churlish for collecting my own roommates, so almost every night I shared a bit of jam or peanut butter with them. They were exceptionally fond of my peach preserves:
In fact, they were rendered so placid by gifts of food that I was able to successfully practice my close-up shots with the new camera while they were feeding. For everyone who knew that I'd have some of the local insects eating out of my hand: You were absolutely right.
