The year 2011 has been an incredible year!
During 2011, I have been doing what I had longed for, what I liked from my within, as a free man! This blog was started out of my love and appreciation for the mother nature and all its creations, more particularly the biological diversity on Earth.
I have photographed at a lot of places (some photos have been posted on this blog) which are rich in smaller life forms: some I had never seen before.
I have photographed lot many birds in Kukrail forest surroundings in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. I have never seen earlier at least one bird photographed by me. I will like to identify all these birds, check their classification (any one out there to help as I am no expert of birds?).
Since childhood I know of a bug found in dry sand, making funnel like dwellings and then lying in waiting for its prey. I had considered it as an insect. Internet resources revealed it to be the same ant lion larva of the fly so popularly known in the US. It is the larvae of the fly of a particular genus Myrmeleon, instead. I am not aware if someone has researched deeply on this fly in India (I am interested to know the researcher).
Last June I spotted something like gobs of spit on a plant in my garden. I was annoyed as much as somebody had done this unhygienic act, but as this number of spits on the solitary Mehndi plant increased in number, their sizes varying each time, I realized there was much to this spit gobs made of piles of small bubbles.
Photo By: Zaka Imam
A pile of bubbles, looking like spit gob, produced by larva of spittle bug
An investigation revealed that these spit gobs were slimy in texture, and in each gob there was hidden underneath a green colour inhabitant, highly sensitive to slightest touch, always moving in shade. A reference on Ask Nature described the bubble maker creature as larva of "Frog-hopper” of the genus Philaenus, or spittle bug. The foam is made by exhaling air into “ a drop of viscid fluid, which is an excretion from the anus of inverted insect, that flows around its body (the air comes from openings situated in pairs in each segment)…The larva of a spittle bug (Philaenus spumarius) does not need to enlarge its larval shelter because it continuously foams the excess of plant sap it excretes around itself. The foam protects the larva from predators and parasitoids as well as from ultraviolet radiation." (Pallasmaa 1995:22, 24, 93).
I have since developed a colony of these insects and hope to multiply them, and will like some research groups to check the product for its chemical composition and some medicinal value? Any one interested?
During the year I have met several people in connection with this blog, and have tweeted on Twitter. I am happy that I have some followers, but I follow more organisations or people because of their achievements, work, associations and objectives. I believe these are important reference centers to learn from.
By blogging I believe we can achieve larger goals and objectives. I am much thankful and grateful to my followers, the Google which has provided this wonderful opportunity through Blogger, and Twitter to communicate with the world, and I will like to wish them and teams, a very successful and productive New Year.
Through constant striving and patience I have learnt how to use available resources for blogging, search engine, optimization (SEO), and use of Alexa resources, which are very vital to be ones' own webmaster in this game of blogging, in order to create some impact.
Through constant striving and patience I have learnt how to use available resources for blogging, search engine, optimization (SEO), and use of Alexa resources, which are very vital to be ones' own webmaster in this game of blogging, in order to create some impact.
No comments:
Post a Comment