Hello! Sorry for not posting more often – have been really busy chasing after bugs now that the rains have started and they are popping out all over the place! Many, many thanks to everyone for their kind comments on the blog post ‘Ants in the dust’. I will try and post a … Read more
Ants in the dust… The drought continues here on the plains. Today at midday I stopped by the harvester ant nest to check on how they were doing. While most of the other animals were resting almost comatose in the shade due to the burning heat, the ants were hard at work. … Read more
The Ant and the Caterpillar On a recent trip to the Kenyan coast I was wandering down a path and noticed a bright purple blob ambling along beside me. I looked down and admired the plump, brightly coloured caterpillar wondering what butterfly or moth it might eventually turn into. As I … Read more
As many of you know who read this blog, a lot of my time is spent watching the amazing interactions of insects on the ant-acacias. The other day I found this incredible wasp inspecting the swollen thorns. The long pointy-thing is her ovipositor (egg-laying device). With this she lays her eggs – inside the bodies … Read more
Have been looking closely at a Leopard Orchid (Ansellia africana) to see what kinds of ants visit and potentially tend the buds and flowers. This species of orchid is found along the coast and in the Rift Valley as well as in the western forests of our region. It is a very pretty plant – … Read more
There were a lot of ants scurrying about on other vegetation as well as the ant-acacias. This was one of the more striking species – wearing a fringing tutu of golden hairs! While fiddling with the camera I noticed a very STRANGE creature moving about on some herbs. A closer look revealed that it was a … Read more
Here are some of the ants that live on the ant-acacia trees in the Kerio Valley. First here’s a portrait of an acacia tree… The main ants that tend the trees are known as ‘cocktail ants’ (Crematogaster spp.) because the raise their abdomens into the air when alarmed. Here are a few of them have a … Read more
Have been working over the past week in the Kerio Valley. Located in Northwestern Kenya this is one of my favourite places in the world and a stunning extension of the Great Rift Valley. Steep escarpments plunge down from the ancient Cherangani Hills to the hot, dry acacia woodlands and scrub of the valley floor, … Read more
I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at the ant-acacias that I study for my PhD. The other day I cam across the most intriguing insect living among the ants on one of the acacias. There are several different ant species involved in a mutualism with the plant. The acacia provides housing and food … Read more