Leopard Orchid…
Category: Ants, Flies, Orchid | Date: Aug 31 2008 | By: dududiaries
Have been looking closely at a Leopard Orchid (Ansellia africana) to see what kinds of ants visit and potentially tend the buds and flowers. This species of orchid is found along the coast and in the Rift Valley as well as in the western forests of our region. It is a very pretty plant - as you can see from the flowers, the name “Leopard Orchid” is very apt! It is a very variable species. This one is from near Lake Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley:
And this one is from the Kerio Valley:
There’s even a rare, beautiful heavy-spotted form from the rainforest called the “Black Leopard Orchid”. Here’s a sketch I made of it some years ago:
The flowers of the Leopard Orchid are interesting in that they don’t produce any nectar - just a pleasant lemony scent - and so con bees into pollinating them. However, the buds do secrete nectar droplets before they open and these attract ants…
Yet another mystery that needs to be solved! More soon - thanks for your comments…
More Kerio Valley bugs
Category: Ants, Flies, Grass hoppers | Date: Aug 24 2008 | By: dududiaries
There were a lot of ants scurrying about on other vegetation as well as the ant-acacias. This was one of the more striking species - wearing a fringing tutu of golden hairs! 
While fiddling with the camera I noticed a very STRANGE creature moving about on some herbs. A closer look revealed that it was a bizarre and wonderful Stalk-Eyed Fly. This group of flies incredibly have their eyes on the ends of long stalks! They are considered a fine example of sexual selection - where females are choosing mates based on the length of their stalks. The males sometimes go ‘eye-to-eye’ pushing each other back and forth like two sparring bulls. 
Later in the late hot afternoon as I sat in the sparse shade of an acacia I noticed a piece of dirt moving. On closer inspection it turned out to have eyes and legs - can you spot it in the picture below? 
A close look revelaed that it was a brilliantly camouflaged grasshopper… 
As I watched him, another grasshopper leapt out of a nearby clump and landed on the ground next to me. He wiggled his antennae at me as if to say “What about me - I’d like my picture taken too!” Of course, I obliged… 
After I took the picture he hopped back into the grass where he was much better concealed. More from the world of insects soon - thanks to everyone for the kind comments.
Ant-acacias…
Category: Ants | Date: Aug 24 2008 | By: dududiaries
Here are some of the ants that live on the ant-acacia trees in the Kerio Valley. First here’s a portrait of an acacia tree… 
The main ants that tend the trees are known as ‘cocktail ants’ (Crematogaster spp.) because the raise their abdomens into the air when alarmed. Here are a few of them have a tete-a-tete… 
Many of the cocktail ants are brightly coloured, like this one who is red-and-black…. 
There are lots of other species of ants on the trees. Some don’t actually live on the tree but visit it - scurrying up and down the trunk. In order to photograph these flighty creatures I put out a few drops of diluted honey. They soon found the sweet treat and settled down to drink. 
They were not the only sugar lovers around - a number of flies also stopped by the droplet for a drink too! On the whole most of the ants and flies were happy to share the unexpected treat - there were a few minor scuffles, but none of these resulted in anyone being hurt… 
More on the ants and other cool bugs from the Kerio Valley soon!
The Kerio Valley…
Category: Ants | Date: Aug 22 2008 | By: dududiaries
Have been working over the past week in the Kerio Valley. Located in Northwestern Kenya this is one of my favourite places in the world and a stunning extension of the Great Rift Valley. Steep escarpments plunge down from the ancient Cherangani Hills to the hot, dry acacia woodlands and scrub of the valley floor, then the land rises again to meet the Tugen Hills. 
On the valley floor among the majestic Acacia tortilis trees are stands of Acacia seyal - one of the ant-acacias that I am currently studying. These are medium-sized tree up to 15-20 m tall with lovely soft yellow bark that is often tinged with russet as they age. This species and the other African ant-acacias are fascinating plants. They are a wonderful example of mutualism and cooperation between species. The plant engages with a close and intimate relationship with a range of ant species. The basic understanding between the acacia and the ants is: The acacia provides housing and food, the ants provide protection against hungry nibbling mouths. This acacia houses ants in lovely silvery-white swollen thorns that are distributed along the tree’s branches… 
The ants forage up and down the trees, and from the extra-floral nectaries, which are special glands that secrete sugary sustenance for the ants… 
More on the myriad other ants and fabulous creatures on and around the acacias soon!
More rainforest insects…
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 20 2008 | By: dududiaries
Here are some more pictures of weird and wonderful insects from Kakamega Forest. Many thanks to everyone for their comments: Maina, Sheryl and Kevin. I will be posting more about useful insects soon. Basically in the rainforest - every insect can be considered useful. Even the parasites are important as they help keep the numbers of other creatures in check. Here are some colourful flies that I photographed in the forest - they were hanging around where some colobus monkeys were napping… 
There were also lots of little grasshopper nymphs around, including this cute little fellow: 
In the evening, just before a thunderstorm broke over the forest, I spotted this lovely skipper butterfly sipping nectar from flowers. The flower is an Impatiens sp, which grows along the forest paths in shady spots. It seems to be pollinated by skipper butterflies primarily. The globular sphere in the background is a seed pod that is just about to burst. The pods explode when ready - at the slightest touch - sending the seeds flying into the forest. No matter how many times I’ve popped them, it’s always a surprise to feel the pod springing to life! Most flowering plants rely on insect pollinators in order to be pollinated and set seed or fruit… 
Rainforest insects…
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 19 2008 | By: dududiaries
Have just been travelling in Western Kenya on fieldwork. Spent a few days in the wonderful Kakamega forest, where the heady mixture of rain and sunshine has seen an explosion of insect life. Here are some of the pictures of the amazing and beautiful forest creatures.The strangest creatures I came across were these very cool bugs, flatid bug nymphs, who sit together in gregarious ‘nurseries’. They are very touchy and hop off like little rockets at the slightest disturbance so I had to move like a chameleon in order to photograph them! Their fluffy tails are waxy filaments that serve as a means to clog up the mouth of any would-be predator while the little nymph escapes! 
There were some interesting flies around - including this ‘Daddy-long-legs’ - a species of cranefly, who came along to sample some of the mashed banana mix that I was using to attract butterflies… 
The butterflies eventually showed up - among the most striking was a pair of ‘Lurid Gliders’, as they are known - the female is the brown and white-spotted one, the male is the one with the golden yellow wings… 
Some butterflies preferred the edges of puddles to sip from…
And some had tastes running to less appetising things!
There were a lot of ants around too. Among my favourite ants in the forest are these lumbering gentle ants, Polyrachis, who move slowly along the trunks and leaves of trees. They spend a lot of time seemingly pondering the mysteries of life, while basking in the sunshine, like this one was… 
More from the wonderful world of insects soon - thanks to everyone for your kind comments and interest and sorry for not posting more often!
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