Hello folks who wonder if mugging while crossing a dark alley in the future will involve transfer of bitcoins,

Why do we roll things up?

  • We roll sleeping bags (or at least we used to) since that makes it easier to store and carry around.
  • We roll our sushi since it helps hold all the ingredients in place while you wolf those rolls down.
  • A roly-poly rolls up to protect itself from predators or an enthusiastic kid who clearly does not have access to smartphones.
  • A freshman rolls up their joint so they can carry around their mental therapist wherever they go.
So, why does a butterfly not reap the benefits of rolling?
Next time you spot a butterfly feeding on a flower, observe how it uses its mouth parts to suck the nectar. Let's take a look at this skipper butterfly doing its thing. (What are skipper butterflies you ask? Read about them over here)


You see a flexible straw like apparatus (called the proboscis) that it is using to suck the nectar from these flowers. Rather than sucking up the nectar as a straw, they soak up the nectar like a sponge using their proboscis. Below is how the proboscis would work on a flower. (Note: no flowers or butterflies were harmed in the making of the video)


And once they are done feeding and it's time to pack up, you will see them neatly coil the proboscis for easy storage. Below is a Gray Hairstreak showing us the ropes.


I remember all the milk cartons I have seen till now show all cows always happy and dancing which makes me wonder if cows truly enjoy getting milked?



Now, despite how exciting it might sound to crouch under these massive animals and yank at their sensitive parts, there are no cows roaming around in my backyard. Due to the lack of access, my hopes of milking a cow seemed like a distant dream. That is till the day I stumbled across this False Widow spider.


False Widow spiders look similar to Black Widow spiders but they lack the distinctive red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens and the toxic venom. These spiders have a body shape which kids would refer to as "Thicc". Having such round abdomens, I knew I could live my long-lost dream. So, I held this false widow spider by its abdomen and began milking.
For silk.

Observe the organ at the end of the abdomen called the spinneret opening and closing when I keep tugging at the silk.


We all live our entire lives constantly fearing about getting stung by a honey bee but fail to appreciate how it neatly stores its stinger and only removes it as the last defense. To see that let's first collect an unsuspecting honey bee.

Psst... Hey, want some free nectar? I have lots of nectar in the van over there.

This Western honey bee just accepted the invitation without any protest. If you observe its abdomen, you will see no signs of a stinger present.


After grilling it for 2 hours on why honey bees sell their honey in bear shaped bottles, this honey bee starts to lose its cool and out comes the stinger.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies calicoflower canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches common murres coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals eucalyptus european starlings eyes farallon island ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls gannet geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull gulls harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil puffins pupa quail rabbits rat roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters sea urchin seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vernal pool vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wildflower wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...