Hello everybody and welcome to Episode 7 of What’s in that Hole?, a new series I’m writing for my blog.
In the last episode, we had a visit from some cute furry friends – thumb-sized bats. If you’re upset that it’s been so long since the last post, I don’t blame you. But please be understanding, since even in warm Tucson, Arizona (it was 80 °F here yesterday!), the critters go into hiding in the winter. Unfortunately, this means I’m finding fewer holes. Today’s episode, therefore, focuses on a hole I found back in September.
The occupants
This episode takes a different approach than its predecessors. Rather than starting with a hole and determining its occupant, I first discovered the occupants, then followed them to find their hole. Yes, you could argue that this method reduces the suspense. However, I think you will still find the saga of the desert leaf-cutter ants to be a compelling story.
Now, my relationship with these desert leaf-cutter ants is nothing new. In fact, I’ve been aware of them ever since I got my tortoises, BO (Big One) and LO (Little One). You see, every warm night, these ants show up in my backyard to steal the tortoises’ lettuce. On this September evening, however, the tortoises had completed their meal, so the ants were left scavenging fallen olive tree leaves.
I found the ants right outside my back door.
Something you may not know: leaf-cutter ants don’t eat leaves. They actually use them to grow a fungus, which they eat and use to feed their larvae. In essence, they are fungus-farmers (quite different from the harvester ants of Episode 2, which eat the seeds they gather).
They don’t even bother cutting the leaves into smaller pieces – so strong!
March of the desert leaf-cutter ants
Though I’ve seen these ants dozens of times, I’ve never followed to see where they live. But, having now embraced my love of holes, I decided it was time.
The ants reached an obstacle at the boundary to my yard: a 5-foot wall. Though some dropped their leaf as they braved the precipice, this did nothing to reduce their determination. And so up they went.
They have reached an obstacle.
Silly me. A wall is no obstacle to these determined critters!
Coming down, of course, was a bit easier:
They have escaped the confines of my yard.
Next, a quick crossing of the 6 feet of no-man’s-land between my wall and my neighbor’s.
Scurrying across the desert.
They travelled a few more feet along the outside of my neighbor’s wall…
Along another wall.
…and then disappeared underneath a discarded concrete slab. I think we’ve found the hole!!!
Under a concrete slab.
The hole
Of course, I wasn’t content to just know they went under the concrete slab. I had to see under the concrete slab. Fortunately it wasn’t too heavy.
Foot included for scale.
A closer look:
A closer look.
The next morning, all was quiet. The ants had ended their nightly march and retreated to their home. I went back for some pictures. Fortunately, my effort from the previous night had not tired me too much and I was still able to move the concrete slab.
An even closer look!
Here’s a couple more close-up views of the leaf-cutter ants’ fungus farm:
Leaf-cutter ant farm.
Leaf-cutter ants tending their farm.
So there you have it: the saga of the desert leaf-cutter ants. Was the change in format acceptable? I hope so!
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