Macro

The Mountain Pine Beetle adds another casualty to its list. Have a look at the tree stump in the center image above.  Notice the bluish bands penetrating the log from the outside edge.  That is the fungus associated with the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB).  There is a symbiotic relationship between the two organisms.  Pine trees produce a thick resin (top image) which thwarts pine beetle infestation.  The beetle carries the fungus on its mouthparts; when it attacks a tree the fungus is released and parasitizes the tree, growing ever inward over time.  The beetle benefits from this because the fungus reduces the resin production by the tree allowing the beetle to attack it without mercy.  The fungus benefits because it is given the opportunity to grow and obtain energy from the tree's tissues. The tree dies because the MPB drills pathways called galleries in the cambium layer.  This is the thin layer just underneath the bark which the tree uses to pass nutrient loaded sap to th

Leaf-roller tube and exposed caterpillar Walking along a path lined by deciduous trees, I occasionally see a curled leaf which has been formed into a cylinder or cone.  Always curious about what caused such a peculiar deformity, I will occasionally have a peek at the culprit.  Sometimes I find a spider, but most of the time a tiny white or light green caterpillar is observed.  These caterpillars belong to a family of moths called, appropriately enough, leaf-rollers.  There are quite a few species, and some of them are significant pests.  Eggs are laid by the adult moths on branches in the fall.  They overwinter and in the spring the larvae emerge.  Some have a diet which is very specific, and they will eat only the leaves of certain plants.  This is where the pest component comes in.  There are blueberry, cherry, pear, almond, and other fruit tree leaf-rollers.  Other leaf-rollers are less specific in their tastes and will feed on a wide variety of crops. It is fascinating to w

Ant lions - the insect version of sarlacc. Remember that scene in Return of the Jedi  when Luke was dangling over The Great Pit of Carkoon?  There was an unseen beast there, hiding beneath the sand, waiting for a tasty morsel to drop.  It was the sarlacc, a mythical creature which hunted passively, although there was nothing passive about the way its prey was devoured.  Its appetite knew no bounds; all that fell into its maw would be mercilessly consumed.  Fortunately for Luke, a certain android, and a handy light saber, he was spared the torment that others were not. Here, on present  day Earth, there exists a similar  malevolence.  With jaws of spring steel and lightening fast reflexes, it waits silently at the bottom of a pit of its own.  Tiny hairs peak up from its funnel-shaped base.  Each one a trigger spelling doom for any visitors.  This is the lair of the larval ant lion.  Tiny in comparison to the sarlacc, but just as deadly, the insect hides beneath the substrate.  Din