A New Start

Though I have enjoyed using blogger as Natures Narrative outlet, it's time for a change. So for new posts and new pages you can find us at www.naturesnarrative.com. All previous posts are there and all future post shall reside there along with the newest page entitled "The art of nature". I hope you enjoy the new site and happy reading.

A Festive Front

With Christmas on the snowy horizon we turn to the infamous festive fashion to get us in merry mood. We all know someone with the classic festive jumper, decorated with an array of Christmas trees, reindeer and snowmen. The woolly hats and knitted scarves are pulled from the back of the closet to brave the winter weather. We are not however the only species grabbing a new coat for Christmas, the mountain hare Lepus timidus also trades in its summer get up for a fashion more suited for a more snowy setting. During the transition of summer to winter the mountain hare moults its previous typical brown coat for a crisp white one. This transformation is a defense mechanism in order to evade predation by blending into the vast white blanket of snow covering their environment. Though walking around any shopping center or even my house in a Christmas jumper this time of year you pretty much become invisible, but it seems it’s not just us getting in the seasonal spirit.  

Trunks, Tusks and Tantrums

 We all reach that point in our lives in the midst of puberty when the age of rebellion dawns.  You would do the opposite to that instructed or just plain do something because you knew it would really annoy your parents. Similarly, spending more time in your room as a teen then in any other room in the house is a common symptom of pre-adultolescence. Though this might not apply to everyone I think the majority of you might well agree.  It is a necessary behavioral trait for us to grow as human beings and gives us a time to look back on and laugh at our previous selves. It can however like anything not controlled can lead to trouble. We as a species have the benefit of our ability to reason and explain to our young within our complex communities, elephants do not. Though elephant species have an impressive hierarchy within their family not dissimilar to ours when a dominant male is no longer present (sometimes removed by poachers fueling the ivory trade) the young of the herd will “act out” becoming more and more out of control, just as we might do as the same age. Young male bulls enter musth, a state of increased testosterone and go into a frenzy, just like young males in our species hormones are the driving force to our development. So it seems that parents are necessary to guild us emotionally and physically through our teens as well as the juvenile stages in other species. .   

Location, Location, Location

As time moves on we may find ourselves moving in distance also. Be that relocating for a new job, a loved one or just to broaden our horizons, many of us travel the globe in the pursuit of happiness.  It may not however be a transition you desire and one you might not want to part take in. In order for me to relate this topic with other species, migration is one that appears obvious. For example bird species crossing oceans in the aim to find better habitats during particular seasons. Then I thought about the negative reasons for relocation in other bird species.  It then occurred to me that we as an aggressive species have eradicate species left right and centre with few getting the opportunity to make a reappearance. Before the 18^th century the white tailed eagles found themselves in high populations in Scotland. Due to predation on our part, we eliminated them from our northern highlands and deleted their existence within Britain by the 19^th century, driving it to reside only in other European countries. Now after several reintroduction efforts their population is increasing to grow. It however took us to actively relocate them to get this majestic bird back into Britain. Similar to us, a move that might not be desired could still hold light at the end of the tunnel with the hope of a new beginning. 

Colourful Future

It's been a while since I  last posted something and that's because the last few months have been frankly all over the place. In June of this year I finished University and look forward to graduating in September. The time in the between has so far been something of a brick wall of realization. Having to move back home, find work and most distressingly leaving some of the best people has left me a bit lost and unable to adapt. This made me wonder about changes that may occur in the lives of other species and having to rebuild,  progress for the future and adapt. I then remembered I had read about the amazing changes bee species were presenting in their converted honey productions. Urban development effect more species than I would care to list but urban bees seem to have found a colourful way to acclimatize and use a new resource full of the sugary products essential for the manufacture of a what we stereotypical know as a silky golden honey. Though still silky the variations in colour are truly amazing from blues, reds and greens urban bees are finding sugars within our sugary treats, our secret snacks, our rubbish. I don't think I will ever be spreading blue honey on my toast or pouring red honey in my tea anytime soon but I take an admiration for these small creature in their sweat pursuit and their ability to adapt.  

When Good Friends Go Bad

During our lives we find our selves surrounded by groups of people that we consider to have close bond with. You hang out together and grow a pretty close friendship but then sometimes out of now where it all changes. Something goes wrong and the friendship is broken, sometimes through no fault of your own but they just turn and it seems as if they are out to get you. Well the African armoured ground cricket (Acanthoplus discoidalis) knows better than the most what it’s like to be on the bad side of a change of heart. These incredibly large crickets make their way up trees homing young and defenceless bird species, while the mother is out gathering food. Then these mini beasts move in and try to eat their newly born chicks. When a mother bird returns, the ground cricket sprays her with its own distasteful blood, temporally blinding the mother. Once released, however the scent of his blood attracts the attention of other ground crickets (they are like the sharks of the insect world). This then changes their attitude and their feeding focus turns to that of the recently confronted cricket. This progresses in members of the same species eating one of their own. Talk about a bad fall out, at least if we seek to break a friendship it’s Facebook or Twitter that get the brunt of it, not our own limbs.

Scratch My Back and I'll Scratch Yours

When someone you know helps you out it's nice to return the favour. Even if it's just helping someone out with revision for an exam or telling them the information they may have missed in a lecture, doing this can then help me revise and I benefit. As a university student this occurs all of the time. This then lead me to wonder about mutualistic behaviours in the wild and the ways in which other species benefit. Within the Neotropics the Poison Dart Frog uses holds an interesting mutualistic relationship with different species of Bromeliad plants (they kind of look like the top of a pineapple). The Neotropics as you can imagine is largely exposed to high levels of rainfall, the water from this intense hydration will sit the folds and dips of the Bromeliad leaf structure. The Poison Dart Frog will then use this presence of water as a safe house for their young. Their tadpole young mature in these pools of water and benefit from the protection of the dense leaf structure. So where is the benefit to the plant, you might think? Well the nutrient waste produced by both the young frog and its mother are absorbed through the pool of water. So without directly knowing it frog’s presence benefits the Bromeliads growth. It's as if it's a way of saying thank you to the Bromeliad for protecting the frog’s young and providing a home. Let's hope we continue to help each other whether we also benefit or not.