During my travelings, I came across some interesting events that I felt the need to share. The white slug and the mating earthworms were a first for me.
Slugs
Slugs are standard pests in the gardens of Pacific Northwest, but when I was in Alaska I took pictures of these two. One was all black and the other one was all white. Both were really large, about 8 - 9 inches long. The slugs I have seen in our area are mostly brownish gray with spots and were definitely shorter.
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| This slug was really, really black |
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| White slug - or is it albino? |
Did you ever see a white slug?
Mating earthworms
While visiting my home in Futog, Serbia I came across this pair of mating earthworms. I never even knew they mate! I am glad I did not step on them. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, meaning they each have the makings of both sexes: male sperms and female eggs. They fertilize each others eggs, but not during the mating. After they are done mating, they separate and each lays their eggs in a cocoon and than fertilize them with the other worms sperm that they had stored in their body. The whole reproductive process is pretty involved and it is well explained in encyclopedias.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthworm.
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| Joined earthworms. They use some mucus to hold each other together |
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| Mating earthworms |
Seeing mating earthworms was a first for me.
Swarming honey bees
While camping last week in Winthrop, Easter Washington we had the opportunity to see and experience something really extraordinary. A neighboring beekeepers bees swarmed and they descended on a tree not far from my tent (swarming is a reproduction of honey bee colonies). Usually, the queen bee leaves the colony with thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of worker bees and they settles on a spot/branch chosen by the scouts.You can imagine the commotion this swarming caused in the camping area. Eventually a beekeeper was called and he captured the swarm. Here are some pictures of the event:
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| Swarming bees on a branch by a tent |
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| Close up of the swarm |
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| At this point the branch is really bending low. We were worried it will break and the bees fall to the ground. Ouch! |
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| The beekeeper is shaking the branch so that the swarm falls in the box |
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| The bees are falling in the box, but there are thousands of bees flying around. Notice all the spots around the beekeeper, all flying bees |
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| The queen and most bees are in the box. Once they calm down the beekeeper will take the box. This will be at dusk. |
All this just shows to me how wonderful life is and how there is so much beauty in even the smallest things!
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