h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7390037.stm

Probably not their fault, but who knows.

Is there REALLY a creature aclled a Piddock. Its sounds like an entry from the Meaning of Liff.

the utterly unbelievable diversity of nature - everything is there is you look, from shrimps that sew, to hermit molluscs, whatever next, a hermit crab?
I never cease in the delight of the strange and bizzare - all around us.

Me neither, fantastic isnt it?

How about leaf-cutter ants? I knew about them cutting leaves. I didn't know that in the rainforest you find these beautifully even, long, long winding trails paved with small oval shaped pieces of leaves and if you follow them, you find yourself at a leaf-cutter colony. The trails aren't narrow, they're a foot wide - they must take centuries to make!

mm, weve got leaf cutter moths.
Grass curling maggots, same specis builds castles out of stone - youll find them in your nearest pond or stream.
But as you said the leaf cutter ants - maybe i read it wrong, but i think it goes a good deal further than that - theyre farmers, the leaf bits are for their mushroom colonies - thanks for that - will read up about it again.

Farming? I didn't know that, I must read upon them too.

I've seen black ants tending their herds of aphids. And also tending Silver-studded Blue butterflies as they emerge, and keeping watch over them at the caterpillar stage. It's pretty astonishing in its way.

wow, now that i would like to see.
I think perhaps the bombadeer beetle would be the crown -
ahh, you tube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib9qT-pccI

Not woderfully impressive, but impressive enough.

ive found quite a few piddocks - mostly quite large - i dont know about the type of rock theyre supposed to bore in but the rock i found them in was very hard - also the entrance hole to the burrow was mush smaller than the animal itself effectively intombing the poor little blighter.
it also seems the piddock is of medicinal importance now - a bioluminescent substance produced by one specis has become - or was an important marker in medicine.

Gosh. I wonder why piddocks would have luminescence when they live permanently in burrows?

The Bombadier beetle has quite a talent. I've not got any good videos of ants with silver studded blues (yet) but this http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/from-prees-heath/ssb-with-attendant-ants.html is a newly emerged butterfly nearly ready for its first flight with ants still in attendance.

And http://public.fotki.com/h2g2Waz/from-prees-heath/silver-studded-blue-2.html#media is an almost full grown caterpillar with an ant keeping lookout.

Season's greetings, btw .

mm, silver studded blue - thanks, must look that up.
Right now im trying to find out more about the integration of sea urchins into the northern seaweed forests - parasites and such like - what substances are produced by attacked seaweeds etc.
Small details meaning so much.
Im trying to prove that sea urchin barrens are mostly produced by mechanical action.
Thanks for the new year wishes- ditto - this year is going to bounce for me. Cheers.