It was a beautiful autumn day and I was enjoying the weather, so if I found some of the items on my list, great, but if not, it was still time well spent!
First on the list was to find something where size provided a survival advantage. I choose to look for something small. And as small things go, these ants are among the most successful of organisms on the planet....the insects. Their small size ensures that there are ample resources for the entire population. In addition to the size advantage, these creatures where illustrating food gathering adaptation. The ant trail can be followed to the food source.
Next on the list was coloration adaptation of mimicry and warning. This was easy--bees and wasps exhibit the coloration of black and yellow striping that warn of their danger. The group as a whole shows mimcry by possessing similar coloration. While I thought this would be easy, it took several attempts (too close for comfort at times) to get a photo of one of these animals. As I stood among the flowers and watched this bee fly from one place to another, I realized how much patience it takes to get good photos of animals!
Coloration that allows for blending into the surroundings is so common, but this was harder to capture in photos than you would think. Obviously, if the animal blends with the surroundings, I was going to have to look hard to see it. Finally, as I stood by our woodpile, I noticed this slug on the wood. Usually all you really see of a slug is the slime trail it leaves behind so I was excited to capture this one on camera. I think I need to work on my close up feature. Looks a little blurry to me, and it wasn't moving very fast!
Looking for shape adaptations was easy for me. I had so many ideas, but decided on this stand of native prairie grasses. The thin blades enable grasses to tolerate periods of drought or dry weather by limiting the amount of moisture lost through the surface.
The rest of my list included behavioral adaptations which are much harder to capture in a photo. But the first of these, nesting behavior, was even more difficult due to the season. In late fall, most nesting is over for the year. I did, however, find this tree cavity. Several species of birds can use something like this, perhaps a chickadee. And it may even be used in the winter for shelter. When birds nest in tree cavities, their eggs are usually round and lack color. Color or pigment takes energy that is not needed in the darkness. And round eggs will not roll out of a cavity such as this.
Finally I was on the search for food gathering behavioral adaptations. This time of year, the spider webs are an obvious food gathering technique used by many species of spider to catch flying insects. I found this bowl and doily web although the spider is hard to see.
Although I didn't find everything on my list, I did enjoy my time out in nature today. It is my favorite time of year for a walk in the woods.
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