The Life Cycle, in My Collage for LMAC #123

An LMAC Special - Teaming up with HiQ - ✨190 HIVE plus 100 HIQS in the Prize Pool!✨A

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How does the mind make associations? I think the process of creating a collage presents that question every time I do it. @shaka offered the LMAC community a lovely template photo this week.

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I knew right away I wanted to open the space, add more water and put ducks in. I've seen so many ducks and geese this spring that, even more than blossoms, these animals have come to suggest renewal to me. This is their mating season (in my area) and soon I will be seeing their offspring toddling along next to the adults.

Unfortunately the other side of renewal is decay. Yesterday I read a wonderful blog by @abneagro that discussed a class of beetle (neoathyreus) that feeds on waste. Without decomposers, such as this beetle, there would be no renewal.

A Species of Dung Beetle Carrying Dung

Luca.favorido: Public Domain

And so in my collage today there are ducks, for renewal, and a worm, for decay.

The Essential Dung Beetle

From a human perspective not all beetles are helpful, but the dung beetle is essential. It belongs to a class of organism known as a decomposer. According to the National Geographic Society, decomposers play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.

Egyptian Scarab (Scarab of Neferu-Re)
Egyptian_-_Scarab_of_Neferu-Re_-_Walters_4256_-_Left_Profile.jpg
Anonymous author. From the Walters Art Museum. Public Domain. The Egyptians of antiquity thought the dung beetle was an incarnation of the sun god. According to Johns Hopkins Archeological Museum, in the view of Ancient Egyptians, a beetle rolling a dung ball across the ground resembled the sun moving across the sky. The beetle laid eggs in the dung, and when new life emerged from this waste, Egyptians viewed the birth as a sign of renewal.

Most dung beetles prefer fresh poo produced by herbivores. These beetles get maximum nutrition from the fresh, moist dung of grass-eating animals. Some beetles do eat the waste of carnivores and some even eat decaying leaves and mushrooms.

A dung beetle is one of the cattle rancher's best friends. The insect helps to maintain healthy pastureland. Not only do the beetles play a role in breaking down dung (which is obviously produced in great quantities on a cattle ranch!) but they also "disrupt pest life cycles such as fly infestations".

Scarabaeus viettei Dung Beetle Native to Madagascar
Scarabaeus_viettei_01.jpg
Credit: Axel Strauß CC Creative Commons 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic

While the cattle rancher may love the dung beetle, and while the beetle's decomposing activity may be an essential part of nature, there may also be a downside to having this insect around. It has been suggested that this type of beetle may actually facilitate the spread of some parasitic diseases. This is especially true for those beetles that feed on the waste of carnivores and omnivores. The beetle may carry the parasite/eggs on its exoskeleton.

Transmission of Toxoplasma Oocyst
toxoplasma oocyst beetle.png
Credit:Ilovericexoxo. License, CC 4.0.. In the diagram above, substitute the beetle for the mouse and you can see how the dung beetle may become a carrier/transmitter of the toxoplasma gondii parasite.

The beetles have been implicated in the transmission of two cat diseases, coccidia and toxoplasmosis. The eggs of these parasites have been found on the beetles themselves, and in their waste. According to an article published by the Jacksonville Veterinary Medical Society, the beetles "play an important role in the transmission of feline coccidian oocysts in the field."

My Collage

I began with an image from my personal collection:
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I borrowed the green shrub from LMAC's Image Library, LIL.
Thank you @lisbethseijas

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I borrowed the worm also from LMAC's Image Library, LIL.
Thank you @evagavilan2 (I added the eye and mouth)

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The rest of the elements in the collage came from @shaka's template photo.

I added a little accent with a paint brush on GIMP. Arranging, sizing and manipulating elements I accomplished with GIMP, Paint 3D and Paint. Frames for the GIF were layered on GIMP.

This week LMAC is featured in HiQ - The Hivestyle Magazine,"the satirical infotainment magazine that regularly blasts Hive blocks". Check out the magazine. It's really cool and informative.

Every week @shaka runs a collage contest. You can find information about that here. The Image Library is amazing, if you haven't looked into it, you should. If you are on Hive you can contribute to the library, and anyone can borrow from the library. All the images are public domain.

Thank you @shaka for the inspiration and work you put in, @quantumg for your genius coding and hard work, and @mballesteros for you invaluable curating for the English and Spanish language communities.

Please note: I do not compete in the contest but I find making collages always to be a rewarding experience.

Thank you for reading my blog. Hive on!

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20 comments
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Hello friend, excellent collage with important information about the dung beetle, that is to say that it is a living being that fulfills a function within the environment, but also very careful because it is a carrier of parasites. Living beings exist to maintain a balance in nature and if they disappear due to human intervention, the environment will be affected and the other living beings.

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Thank you for visiting my friend, @cetb2008, I find these insects to be fascinating. Actually, I do find insects to be interesting, generally. Blogging gives me an excuse to read an write about them.

You are correct. Everything in nature has a place, even if we don't understand that place.

Hope you and your family are well.

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It is nice to bring up different living creatures such as beetles and birds in addition to plants, rivers and trees, every element is important for ecological balance

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Thank you for visiting. Yes, we humans sometimes think the world is all about us. But, if we don't respect other living things on earth, there may not be a world for us to enjoy.

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We have to preserve the beauty of this environment and make better use of its wealth. Your collage is very beautiful, sometimes even parasites are important in the soil. There is no living being without an essential role in life.

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Thank you for the kind words about my collage. I enjoyed writing about these insects because I do see their value. As you say, even parasites are important in the soil. Good idea for another blog :))

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It naturally looks like one of the geese is walking around that scenario, wonderful work 👏

I have also gone through your previous LMAC art and your collage art always provides valuable information to the readers. I really liked this part 🙂

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Thank you for looking through my old blogs, @coinfactor. I do like to blend art and science. To me there is no distinction. I see art as an extension of everything else.

I appreciate your visit and your kind words. Have a great week!

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I am an appreciator of art and I can feel the ambient glance in your works. You have a good time too :)

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It's great to see the caterpillar moving. 🙂 The duck that moved at the end, surprised me. Very cool and funny.

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You make me happy with your visit, and your comment. Your collages were always so cool. The master :)

Hope you and your little cat family are enjoying the warm weather.

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The weather is great these days, and nature is colorful. 🙂 Plenty of fun here.

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Wow! A great study of a very intriguing beetle indeed.
So Fascinating. I first noticed this beetle in a movie "MR BONES" 🤣
and since then it's lodge in my memory rent free cause its such an interesting specie.
To everything, there's the Pros & Cons. Always good to know both sides, thank you sharing, you always make such lovely & thoughtful collage💫

!PIZZA

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Thank you, @queenstarr. Your visit is most appreciated, as are your kind words. I like bugs :)) That is, I find insects fascinating. When I read about this insect on @abneagro's blog I was motivated to learn more. I do recommend that you read his blogs. They are in Spanish, but each one is a gem of original research you are not likely to find anywhere else (on Hive, anyway).

Thank you for enjoying my collage. Beginnings and endings. That is life, isn't it. I hope you are having a most peaceful, productive week.

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Great, I have bookmarked his blog to pay visits. My pleasure always and Indeed, that's the circle of life. Thank you Agmoore, I wish you a productive week too. One Love💜

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(Edited)

Hi @agmoore. 👐

One of the attributes that clearly stand for your collages is the handmade yet smooth and meticulously created animations. This one even comes with an awesome depth effect.
It proves there is no need to use expensive animation programs that do all the work themselves.
Fantastic! I love your animations.

Thanks also for the extremely interesting educational part of your Edu-Collage. I always enjoy reading them. :-)

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You are too kind @quantumg. I know my stuff is unsophisticated. Actually, I like simple stuff. I don't know if it is my Puritan ancestors. These have always vied culturally with my Sicilian ancestors. The Sicilians love ceremony and extravagance, even in language. Anyway, I think the Puritans won that battle :))

I appreciate your visit very much. You know this is my hobby. Not just collages, but Hive. So the responses to my blogs matter to me a great deal. Thanks for this kind one (Also, thank you for that tip...the gesture is much appreciated).

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