A few more photos of our house and yard, the beach down the road, etc. The random ones of the insects are part of our ongoing education of insect behaviour. These ants are highly organized. At first I was incredibly bothered by the incessant ants in and around our house. While I am meticulous at keeping them at bay in the kitchen and our bedrooms, I have relaxed significantly about them elsewhere. They are doing good work. Necessary work. And really, they aren’t harming us. (physically anyway!) The kids, and frankly the adults too are extremely interested in the goings on of the ants. Upon minutes of an insect dying, the ants are organizing around, determined to find a way to get it back to their colony. And if that isn’t possible, they find another way. For instance, last week a dragon fly died in our laundry area. Obviously, it is far larger than the ants and although they tried to move it, they quickly realized it was not possible. So instead the colony came to feast. For two days, the ants came and went, slowly picking away. I finally swept it outside where I’m sure they continued their work; but at least I didn’t have to look t it every time I went outside. Another time, a bug died and this time the ants were able to move the smaller beetle. It was something to be seen. The ants formed a line, moving the bug along. They then proceeded to carry him up the wall to their nest which I presume resides in the attack space. They got about halfway up the wall before their line began to falter. So they carried the bug back down the wall, formed two lines and succeeded in getting him up the wall. Crazy! So this is how it is, our daily interaction and commune with nature.
