WATERMELON AFTER - PARTY IN MY YARD

avatar
(Edited)

On a hot, summer day, more or less a week ago, a bunch of friends came to visit me. I had a huge watermelon in the fridge and, although we ate a lot around noon, a nice big piece remained. The watermelon was tasty, very sweet ... almost too sweet when we eat it, but that last piece in the evening, after some hours outside the fridge, started to smell a bit rotten ...

img_3426_malo.jpg

... and the taste was even worse ...

img_3432_malo.jpg

... so I simply threw it, in smaller chunks, through the kitchen window.

(Enlargeable)

When I went in the garden, half an hour later, I found some less choosy watermelon fans.

(Enlargeable)

The small pavement ants (Tetramorium immigrans) ...

(Enlargeable)

... and the shiny green bottle flies (Lucilia sericata) ...

img_3461_malo.jpg

... were enjoying the sweet, juicy food that kind of fell from the sky.

(Enlargeable)

Most pavement ants were feeding in organized group ...

img_3417_malo.jpg

... but I saw a couple of them enjoying the fruit alone, relatively far from the group.

(Enlargeable)

The bigger ant on this photograph belongs to another species ...

(Enlargeable)

... the Formica fusca.

img_3415_malo.jpg

I spent almost an hour with these very common insects.

(Enlargeable)

Watching them through the macro lens was a nice, calming and meditative experience.

img_3418_malo.jpg

Metallic green flies on that vivid red surface looked especially great. Here, you can see the fly near the empty exoskeleton of another insect that somehow ended up on the watermelon trash.

(Enlargeable)

And that's all. As always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work.



0
0
0.000
22 comments
avatar

There are a lot of guests here to eat water melon. Ohh this is my favourite fruit. It's not available here during this period. Water melon available in summer in our region.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Great macro shots! I like when it's so close that you can see the hairs on the insect. I recently started a tetramorium ant farm. Pavements ants are very common and easy to care for. I thought they were T. caespitum but now I'm starting to think they are T. immigrans.

0
0
0.000
avatar

:) Maybe you are right, those are extremely similar species.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

I'd show you but I can't capture mine on camera. They are too small, even on macro mode.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Ah yes, the best way to deal with overripe (or underripe) watermelon ... very nice...

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hi @borjan , watermelon fed humans and animals, you and your friends enjoyed it and these animals did too
Happy Saturday

0
0
0.000
avatar

There was more than enough watermelon for everyone. :)

0
0
0.000
avatar

Watermelon is one of the fruits with the most sugar. Ants love sugar too.
When sugar was spilled on the ground when I was little, dozens of ants would come to get the sugar.
Your close-up photos are very high quality and clear.

0
0
0.000
avatar

That's incredible that it only took half an hour for them to find it!

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

True. In a moment, flies and ants appear seemingly out of nowhere. It looks like magic.

0
0
0.000
avatar

They're just doing their job, aren't they? Cleaning is up,repurposing all those carbohydrates.

A universe on a tiny piece of watermelon :)

0
0
0.000
avatar

True. :) Very efficient cleaning crew.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It was a great presentation. Good luck with your spirit

0
0
0.000
avatar

Dear
Very Very Nice Photography.
Thanks.

0
0
0.000
avatar

the post looks nice to you, you just learned that ants are extras, you still have to teach them to write letters on that watermelon to understand what it says hihihi ,,, ;))

0
0
0.000
avatar

Well, you have found a great idea for a series of photos. Next time, leave a piece of meat there, and get a scavenger party :)

Then you can experiment with products - bread for birds, vegetables for snails, burgers for people ;)

0
0
0.000
avatar

Great idea :) varied food - more species

0
0
0.000