The bullfrog and the flying ants!

I've been arguing with blogger and Vimeo on photo and video alignment. You'll have to forgive me. These durned free services!

Can you see him under the leaf? The sun has been too hot for him. We've had very hot days, but very cool nights.

Can you see the ant in his mouth?! 

Ants are out and about!

Have you ever turned a rock over, and found ants rescuing their eggs? This is how fast it all happens: Ant eggs 

I'm not thrilled with ants. We've mean ones in the dry sand near the water fountain. They have a wicked bite for such a teeny thing. Anyway, every year we see the winged ones launch themselves up into the air.

Jeremiah took advantage of them!

🐸  🐜  🐸   🐜  🐸   🐜  🐸   🐜  🐸   🐜   🐸   🐜

Why do they fly?

Black garden ant (Wiki)

"Ants mate on the wing, so "flying ants" are alates (reproductive individuals), which include males and gynes (virgin queens). The mating (or nuptial) flights of Lasius niger usually occur around June to September"

The queen takes off with the alates, they mate in the air, and she finds a burrow. She'll block up the entrance for protection, then she'll eat her wings. 😖After she lays her eggs, she doesn't eat, the wings have protein to sustain her. Losing about 50% of her body weight, she'll care for the eggs. Eventually, once the eggs go through the larva and pupa stage, to become adults, they will remove the blockage and life will continue on as they grow, forage, and build tunnels.

We made it to Friday!

 We knew it was coming. This was still a bit of a shock! It is time to hunker down, put the flowers to bed, and prepare for winter. 

 I'll be happy for the Autumn harvest, and baking to warm up the kitchen.

The soda bread continues to be a hit. 

The sphinx moths are about. Several had paused prior to dawn and ended up sitting there.

The flying ants are right on schedule. They live around the goldfish pond, I think. I was fascinated watching them all take flight.

 

flying ants from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The frogpond is really done. All critters have fulfilled their life cycles. The wood frogs are in the forest, the leopard frogs are in the grass, tree frogs are everywhere, fattening up for winter.

 

frog pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Fred groundhog pops in and out. I put the trailcam on the deck and caught him coming and going.

 

Fred groundhog from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The hornets are very busy bees. Here is nest #2. In the same tree.

 

2nd hornet nest from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The water strider is hanging out in the water fountain. I will have to break the bad news. Soon it'll be time to clean, drain, dry, and cover the fountain for winter! 

 

water strider.mov from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It was a nice day Thursday, if chilly. The fungus and the mushrooms in the forest are amazing. That will be another post. We've been watching The Brokenwood Mysteries, from New Zealand. It's a partly lighthearted, nicely done series that has some humour, and a great sense of place. The scenery is wonderful. The quality of the plots vary week to week, some are better than others. We are on to season 8 and it has evolved, with a diverse cast. They have begun to use Maori in dialogue. I like that. All in all, it's a nice 90-minute mystery. 

And there you have it, on a cool, rainy day, I've a volunteer gig. I hope I can manage. Mask affixed, I have to be a driver and an escort. We'll see how I last.