Re: [at-l] Trail Maintenance, Ant-Style

["Leslie Booher" <lwbooher@evansville.net>]

Thanks, Nina.  That's really neat, and I enjoyed it.  You do have fire ants
there in LA, too, don't you?  We had them bigtime in Vicksburg when we lived
there, and I think they were moving north into the MS Delta, my home turf.
Leslie

-----Original Message-----
From: Nina Baxley <infpeace@yahoo.com>
To: at-l@backcountry.net <at-l@backcountry.net>
Cc: bslisa@aol.com <bslisa@aol.com>
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 1999 2:56 PM
Subject: [at-l] Trail Maintenance, Ant-Style


>Hi everyone,
>
>Just wanted to let y'all know that I survived a
>harrowing weekend hiking over the wild and challenging
>terrain of central Louisiana's Wild Azalea Trail. OK,
>so it wasn't that harrowing! There were seven of us,
>and most of us didn't know each other until we met at
>the trail. We got together through the Louisiana
>Hiking Club, which a couple of friends and I started
>up last February, and which now has over 60 members
>(woo hoo!). The 30-mile Wild Azalea Trail isn't
>particularly beautiful (some parts are pretty, but I'm
>sure it doesn't compare to what they have on the AT
>and out west), but it's just about all we have in the
>way of established trails.
>
>Anyway, I won't bore y'all with a trip report, but I
>did want to tell y'all about the ant trails. This was
>so cool. We were walking along the Wild Azalea Trail,
>and one guy pointed to a tiny trail running alongside
>our trail. It was about three inches in width and ran
>alongside our trail for several thousand feet.
>
>Rodney (the guy that pointed this out) explained to us
>that ants had built that trail. At first we were like,
>"Yeah, right!" As we looked more closely yhe miniature
>trail, which was strewn with bits and pieces of
>leaves, we saw the ants. The little trail led back to
>this piece of land on side of the Wild Azalea Trail
>that is covered with tall, cylindrical ant
>communities, an area we had often marveled at. Rodney
>explained that the ants were leaf-cutting ants that
>haul the leaves back along their trail to their nests,
>where they culture/farm the leaves for mold, which
>they eat as food. After researching it a bit, we found
>out today that the ants even clear the trail so that
>they can travel a little easier, and that they have
>soldiers guarding the trail to protect the workers
>from attack by ant-eating creatures. Also, one size of
>ant cuts the parts of the leaves off the plant,
>another size carries the leaf, a third size cleans the
>leaf as it is being carried back to the nest, and
>others work the leaf in to fungus material while
>others take care of the pupa and larva. Pretty cool,
>huh? Have y'all ever seen these ant trails? Does
>anyone know more about them?
>
>I just want to go back to the Wild Azalea Trail next
>weekend-I know I could sit and watch the ants going
>back and forth for hours. Louisiana's trails don't
>take you to outstanding, panoramic views, but it goes
>to show that you can find endless fascination in
>nature once you learn how to look for it! I have
>walked that trail probably 20 times in the last year,
>and, while I have noticed the flowers, the trees, and
>the beauty of the creek running along the left side of
>the trail, I never noticed the tiny trail running
>along the right side. Amazing.
>
>Oh well, just thought I'd share!
>
>Nina
>ME > GA 2000
>(245 more days!)
>
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