August 26th: Wasps get a bad rap due to their sting. Some wasps, like this digger wasp, don't live in colonies, but lead solitary lives, with homes underground. This one is in the act of digging in front of its lair. Under the sand it has a tunnel with up to eight rooms, where it stores captured insects. It lays eggs in their bodies, so that during the winter, its young will have something to feed on, before they emerge as wasps next year. There were lots of these holes along a path in Toronto's High Park. It is amazing what lies just beneath our feet ( and our notice).
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| Nature's wisdom at work |
August 14th: Here's an example of how nature works through interdependence. The leaf on the left has holes in it, signs that bugs have been feeding here. The ladybug isn't the guilty party, though - it has come to the rescue to eat the hungry insects. Over on the right, a wasp has also come to find bugs that could be harming this flower. Wasps also inadvertently pollinate flowers this way, helping them to reproduce.
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