What do You Have to do to Get a Drink Around Here?

Image Credit Flickr User Wildxplorer

From the largest mammal to the tiniest insect we all have to drink. If we don’t we die. Over at the Ark in Space they are focusing on the little guys, the ones which you can hardly imagine need much water. Indeed, sometimes they can be in danger of being carried away in their enthusiasm to sate their thirst. Thanks to some wonderfully macrophotography we get to see this most vital of functions being carried out – with some gusto – by a host of insects. Drink up!

The Mystery of Resin

No one knows for absolute sure why some trees secrete resin. However, with the aid of some marvelous macrophotography, although the mystery surrounding this subject cannot be solved for certain, its beauty – at times deadly – becomes evident.

Image Credit Flickr User Paul Garlan

Resin is a chemical that oozes out of various trees. It is known as a secretion rather than an excretion. Excretions are purely waste products whereas, although the reasons behind resin are still a little obscure, most scientists believe that it has some sort of purpose or function. It is probably not simply to trap insects, although there is something almost morbidly satisfying about the sight of an insect being ‘consumed’ by resin. Perhaps it is the fact we have watched Jurassic Park too many times and take some satisfaction in imagining a scientist in the year ten thousand working out the DNA of an amber trapped insect. Most probably it is the wonder of seeing something trapped in time as perfectly preserved as it was on the day it died.

The Sublime Swallowtail

You may be familiar with the Common Yellow and the Western Tiger, but the Swallowtail family of butterflies is much larger and diverse than you may imagine. The Ark in Space is featuring some of the less familiar species, such as the Pipevine and the Chinese Peacock, along with some stunning photographs, and revisit one or two you have perhaps seen before - such as the Giant Swallowtail above.

Image Credit Flickr User TexasEagle

Alien Nations: Up Close and Impersonal with Insects and Spiders

Over at the Ark in Space there are a number of insects and spiders awaiting your company.  Don't think you will be able to squish these representatives of seemingly alien nations on Earth, however. Thanks to macrophotography they look as big as you or I - and a few of them look like they would quite fancy us for their tea too!

Above is the eight eyes of a Hentzia palmarum Jumping Spider - or as many as can be seen without a 360 degree pan.  Head over to the Ark in Space for the rest of the collection.

Image Credit Flickr User Thomas Shahan

Dew - Earth's Liquid Jewelry

In his poem Hyperion, Longfellow said, “Every dew-drop and rain-drop had a whole heaven within it."  What would he make of today’s world of micro and macrophotography?  To say his words had an element of truth in them might be assuming that the camera never lies.  However it can hardly be doubted that he might find joy in this collection of outstanding photographs.  Perhaps he would feel that they represented the inner peace for which he was searching.

Image Credit Flickr User Stevetookit

Image Credit Flickr User Ecstaticist

Earth's liquid jewelry wrought of air. Philip James Bailey
Dew forms on any exposed and thin object in the morning and (unknown to some) also in the evening.  It is caused by the object cooling.  When it cools it radiates the heat it is generating. That heat causes moisture in the surrounding atmosphere to condense.  The water is not able to evaporate faster that it is condensing.  So, dew forms.

How do Spiders Eat?

If you are of a nervous disposition, then look away now! The Ark in Space today poses the question just how exactly do spiders eat their prey? My first answer would have been they catch them in their web and then have a good munch.  However, munching aside, that is just the first part in a rather gruesome process which could well cause you a sleepless night or two. To fill you in, the Ark in Space launches gleefully in to a full, (possibly) stomach churning description, together with some amazing macro-photography of spiders and their unfortunate victims. Click any of the links above (or the picture) to read the full article - and please don't have nightmares!

Image Credit Flickr User DJDwayne

Slime Mold - Alien Landscapes On Earth

Just the thought of mold is something that makes many people involuntarily shudder. Yet there is more to it than meets the eye – particularly if you are lucky enough to see Kim Fleming’s remarkable macrophotography.  Up close we are witness to an enigmatic and beautiful alien world on our own doorstep.

This strange and wonderful thing is Hemitrichia calyculata.  It typically has stalked sporocarps.  These are fruiting bodies which contain sporangia – the mold version of seeds.  They look like the weird plants that featured in numerous 1950s science fiction B-movies.  Or maybe even some strange alien egg pods, left to be discovered by innocent space travelers.  No need to worry, though – at most they reach two and a half millimeters in height.

Dragonfly Delight - Amazing Macrophotography

The sight of a dragonfly is one of the more remarkable that nature has to offer. The Ark In Space, with the help of some astounding macrophotography, takes a look at the life cycle of the dragonfly as well as its remarkable and unusual physiology.

Image Credit MrClean1982