Explore Outdoors ~ Got Ants in your Plants?

I do! And I'm not too worried. That's because these ants and plants have a working relationship. A partnership of sorts. 

 

 

The peony has extrafloral nectaries on the sepals (the leaf-like things that protect the flower). That nectar attracts ants that, in exchange for the food, protect the plant from flower-chewing bugs. There are other nectaries inside the flower that produce food for pollinators - once the flower opens.

This week, take a closer look at flowers and flower buds.

• Do you see ants on the plants?
• Do the ants look like they are collecting nectar?
• Are the flowers open or still closed buds?
• Are the ants eating other insects on the plants?
• Do the ants leave pheromone signals letting other ants know how to get to these sweet treats?
• Do you see other pest-eating beneficials on plants, such as ladybug larvae or lacewings?

You can find out more about ants and peonies at Illinois Extension and the master gardeners at Penn State. And by observing peony flowers wherever you find them!

Wordless Wednesday

Lichen-looking leaves me liking lichens

Foliose lichens

Lichens are an odd lot. They look sort of greenish and make their own food using sunlight, but they don't have flowers or leaves or roots. So they're not plants. They are a composite of two organisms: fungi and algae. Usually the algae is sandwiched in between layers of the fungi. They have a symbiotic relationship - both organisms benefit. The algae make food, and the fungi provide the structure and help retain moisture.

Fruticose lichen - bushy appearance

You'll find them everywhere - from the highest rocky tops of mountains to the rainiest rainforest. You may have seen crusty lichens clinging to rocks - they are the first colonists and secrete acids that gradually break down the rock surface, helping soil development. But it takes time; lichens grow really really slowly. A fast-growing lichen may add 1/2 inch a year.

Trumpet lichens

 Lichens will grow on just about anything that holds still long enough for it to attach to: tree trunks and branches, gravestones, old farm equipment, wooden picnic tables ... even sand dunes. If the sand is stable for a long enough period of time, a soil crust of lichens can form. That allows other communities of plants to move in and establish themselves over the top.

British Soldier lichen

Lichens do more than help the soil; they provide food for animals and insects, and birds use them in nest-building. People use lichens, too. Some lichens are used in dyes. When mixed with pine sap or urine, or burned to ash, they produce a range of colors from yellow to purple and reds. Some lichens are edible, used as food or to flavor food.

You might find lichens in your bathroom cabinets; lichens are used in toothpaste, salves, perfumes and deodorants. Some lichens produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of neighboring lichens - and scientists have found uses of lichen chemicals in herbicides as well as medical applications.

So what's not to like about lichens?

Today is STEM Friday. Drop by the STEM Friday blog for book reviews and other STEM resources.

Animal Partners

Animal Partners
by Scotti Cohn; illus. by Shennen Bersani
32 pages; ages 4-8
Arbordale, 2015

themes: animals, nature

It's hard to choose "opening lines" in a book filled with poems about animal partnerships. But here's an example of one:

Behold the wily crocodile.
Who will scrub his pointy smile?  

This book is a collection of poems that examine partnerships between animals. Usually, animals hang out with others of their kind. But sometimes one species associates with another if there's something to be gained. The crocodile mentioned above allows a small bird to hop into its mouth and clean between his teeth. In another poem, a sea turtle laments the barnacle attached to its shell, while another investigates a partnership between warthogs and mongooses.

What I like about this book: The poems are fun, short, and snappy. And the author explores different poetic forms. I like that there's backmatter: the author describes different types of symbiosis and gives examples of each kind from the text. There's a "match the animal partners" game and a "name the habitat" challenge. But I wish there was a page that described the different creatures. Especially the pseudoscorpion, a tiny arthropod I've come to know.

Beyond the Book:
Investigate how animals living in your area relate to other animals. Maybe you have birds that flock together and understand each others' alarm calls. Maybe you have wood ticks that suck blood from your dog (parasitism). Maybe you have some pseudoscorpions in your very own house, waiting to hitch a ride on a fly.

Write a poem or a song about animals that help each other out.

Can animals have partnerships with plants? Think of some cases where that might happen, like a bee pollinating a certain kind of flower, or a plant that depends on a bird or other animal to disperse its seeds.

Learn more about the animals mentioned in the book. Check out this video of barnacles eating. Or this one of warthogs and mongooses.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from publisher.