Etats d'âme - Fragments d'être: juin 2017

vendredi 30 juin 2017

Fooling around... ?

... actually not.

Kitty is trying to make his way up to the euphorbia trigona,

balancing on the edge of the pot

and holding on to the chair

so that he could play

with a big fat grasshopper

that just landed on the cathedral cactus.

jeudi 29 juin 2017

It's not like I've missed you... but what a thrill to be back again. Part I

Regent's Canal

Feng Shang Princess floating restaurant - Cumberland Basin

Giant plane tree - Regent's Park

Dancing tree - Regent's Park

Les Colombes, Michael Pendry - Saint Martins in the Fields.

My favourite shop - New Oxford Street

An old tree-friend - Hyde Park

Within an old tree-friend

mardi 13 juin 2017

Les fourmis constituent la famille des Formicidae (ou formicidés en français) et, avec les guêpes et les abeilles sont classées dans l’ordre des hyménoptères sous-ordre des Apocrites. Ces insectes eusociaux forment des colinies appelées fourmilières, parfois extrêmement complexes, contenant de quelques dizaines à plusieurs millions d’individus. Certaines espèces forment des supercolonies à plusieurs centaines de millions d’individus. Les termites, parfois appelés fourmis blanches pour leur ressemblance formelle et comportementale, sont de l’ordre des dictyoptères (sous-ordre des isoptères) mais ne sont pas de proches parents.
Les sociétés des fourmis ont une division du travail (polyéthisme d'âge et de caste), une communication entre individus et une capacité à résoudre des problèmes complexes. Ces analogies avec les sociétés humaines ont depuis longtemps été une source d'inspiration et le sujet d'études scientifiques.
En 2013, plus de 12 000 espèces ont été répertoriées mais il en reste probablement des milliers encore à découvrir. Famille cosmopolite (elle a colonisé toutes les régions terrestres à l'exception du Groenland et de l’Antarctique), elle atteint une grande densité dans les milieux tropicaux et néotropicaux. Bien que les fourmis représentent moins d'un pour cent des espèces d'insectes, la masse de la myrmécofauneexcède le poids de l'humanité et cette masse conjuguée à celle des termites représente le tiers de la biomasse de la forêt amazonienne.
source : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourmi

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 99 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. Larger colonies consist mostly of sterile, wingless females forming castes of "workers", "soldiers", or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.
Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indeginous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.
Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problemsThese parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject of study. Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication, and rituals. Some species are valued in their role as biological pest control agents. Their ability to exploit resources may bring ants into conflict with humans, however, as they can damage crops and invade buildings. Some species, such as the red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), are regarded as invasive species establishing themselves in areas where they have been introduced accidentally.
Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant