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Lord Vetinari · May-08-2010, 11:41 PM #1

See this every year with small groups of red ants clustered on the tops and sides of cornflower buds. Took me a while to work out what was going on but eventually spotted some honeydew drops leaking from the buds which the ants obviously love. These shots show a red ant feeding on the biggest honeydew droplets I've yet seen. Not worked out yet with the droplets are entirely natural or whether the red ants damage the buds to cause them to bleed.

Brian V.

Bassman · May-09-2010, 02:59 AM #2

Simply put...AMAZING!

DonRicklin · May-09-2010, 03:13 AM #3

And they are presumably there to herd the aphids seen in the first image, too. Great series!

Don

Lord Vetinari · May-09-2010, 03:21 AM #4

Thanks for the comments :)

Don that is a small springtail in #1- I purposely double imaged it whilst hand focus stacking the shot :)
Actually an odd start to the year - only seen one adult aphid in the whole garden so far - a lot of bugs are going to go hungry.

Brian v.

DonRicklin · May-09-2010, 03:26 AM #5

Ah, that's why your the expert and I'm not!

Would hurt my brain thinking to realize it is the same small insect, twice in that forst image! Though that now makes sense.

Don


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May-08-2010, 11:41 PM #1
Lord Vetinari ^OP Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Worthing Sussex UK Posts: 10,214	Red ants feeding on cornflower bud See this every year with small groups of red ants clustered on the tops and sides of cornflower buds. Took me a while to work out what was going on but eventually spotted some honeydew drops leaking from the buds which the ants obviously love. These shots show a red ant feeding on the biggest honeydew droplets I've yet seen. Not worked out yet with the droplets are entirely natural or whether the red ants damage the buds to cause them to bleed. Brian V. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

May-09-2010, 02:59 AM #2
Bassman Big grins Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 10	Simply put...AMAZING! __________________ Nikon D40 Nikon 16-85mm Tamron 70-300mm

May-09-2010, 03:13 AM #3
DonRicklin Polysemaniac! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Worcester, MA, USA Posts: 4,562	And they are presumably there to herd the aphids seen in the first image, too. Great series! Don __________________ Don Ricklin - Gear: Pentax K-7 'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' .... My Blog \| Q+ \| Moderator, Lightroom Forums \| My Amateur Smugmug Stuff \| My Blurb book Rust and Whimsy. More Rust

May-09-2010, 03:21 AM #4
Lord Vetinari ^OP Smugbug Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Worthing Sussex UK Posts: 10,214	Thanks for the comments :) Don that is a small springtail in #1- I purposely double imaged it whilst hand focus stacking the shot :) Actually an odd start to the year - only seen one adult aphid in the whole garden so far - a lot of bugs are going to go hungry. Brian v. __________________ Brian V. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/

May-09-2010, 03:26 AM #5
DonRicklin Polysemaniac! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Worcester, MA, USA Posts: 4,562	Ah, that's why your the expert and I'm not! Would hurt my brain thinking to realize it is the same small insect, twice in that forst image! Though that now makes sense. Don __________________ Don Ricklin - Gear: Pentax K-7 'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' .... My Blog \| Q+ \| Moderator, Lightroom Forums \| My Amateur Smugmug Stuff \| My Blurb book Rust and Whimsy. More Rust


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