Hey stranger, bless this shiny little ant: Camponotus novaeboracensis
By Hayley Kolding I. Camponotus novaeboracensis, the New York carpenter ant, belongs to a diverse genus of large ants that build nests by chewing galleries out of wood—although this species has been known to nest not only in trees and stumps, but also under rocks or cow dung. Morphologically, it can be distinguished from others in its genus by its shiny gaster, bicoloration (mesosoma and legs red), unnotched clypeus, and cheeks lacking erect hairs. Workers tend treehoppers and aphids, including the smoky-winged poplar aphid, Chaitophorus populicola, which feeds and forms colonies near the apical meristems of poplar and aspen trees. The ants feed on the aphids’ sugary honeydew excretions while protecting them from predators. Curiously, this mutualistic relationship is somewhat uneven; while C. novaeboracensis can succeed in the absence of honeydew by consuming tree trunk exudates and dead insects, C. populicola has never been recorded without ant attendants. II. III. Hey stranger, bless this shiny little ant As a masters candidate in UVM’s Field Naturalist prowhirring up and down an aspen leaf. gram, I am always up against the reality of an environment Bless her six feet, her jaw, the stiff gold hairs in crisis. Readings, projects, field trips, and conversations on her rear that narrows to a point that center natural history and conservation strategy are inlike a hornet’s sting. Bless the convex hump extricably linked to the matters of habitat loss, pollution, of her red back. I mean, just check her out. climate change, and extinction. But as Rachel Carson, one As she circles the edge of the toothed blade. of the role models of our program, proposed in “The Sense Traverses the stalk. Pauses. Nudges rump of Wonder”, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the of fellow ant. Look how she surmounts earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life the sticky clustered buds. Cruises right to twig. lasts.” She was right: the more wonders that my peers and I And then, on silver bark, butts heads with her discover in the natural world, the easier it is to convert our near twin (and they cross feelers as if knitting). ecological grief into drive. That is why, as conservation proDo a dance for the whole branch steaming fessionals, we still take time to climb into caves and search with collisions. This ant plows past her pal, for beaver signs, and look up close at plants and insects of zips onto a strap-flat stalk where it leaves unfathomable beauty. Our life’s work is a response to a world the plant. She stamps like a Glyptemus turtle in distress, but our daily experience is ruled by joy. grunting for worms. And the petiole shakes The idea for this piece was simple: to take the sense of with aphids. Bless the aphids, raising their wonder, joy, and play that motivates me as a Field Naturalback ends or stuck full down. Their silhouettes ist, and share it. I had been having fun watching a colony of like scrawny-legged urns. Sticky sap they drip. carpenter ants down by the lake, and it dawned on me that Sugar dots. Ridges. The ant’s antennae insects were overdue for some lighthearted coverage. Honeysweep over the aphids. A come-here bee die-offs and reports of a coming insect apocalypse have gesture. Gathering, urgent. Bless that maestro, stirred up unprecedented public interest in insect biodiversibless that eater sweeping sweetness to her ty—a great win for conservationists—but the fatalistic tone big plate. That long-armed god in the field of these reports, and serious flaws in the research undergirdwaving home her flock. Bless her! Her ant cheeks ing them, have also generated skepticism, offense, and even hairless, full of honeydew! Her ant legs, dismayed paralysis in non-scientists. I wanted to remind from coxa to tarsal claw! No bug dares hunt those who are feeling overwhelmed by the reports that data the aphids this ant tends to, baby. and observations can do more than weigh us down—they Bless their safe little butts. And Camponotus, can delight, inspire, and empower us. With a more nuanced what a worker, never stilling. Bless and joy-based experience of insect diversity, we can all bethe antennae preening nectar off her step. come better stewards of the natural world. H Art by Ella Weatherington 3 Headwaters Magazine
