Autumn
is in full swing and our rains during the summer have not been as plentiful as
could be expected. However, recently we were blessed with almost three inches
of rain over a period of four days. It is amazing what this does to the world
on Rookwood.
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| Rookwood in Autumn |
You
know autumn is here when you see the thousands of Barn Swallows ‘lining up’ on
the telephone lines or fence lines early in the mornings or late in the day. They
take to the skies with a chattering sound while feeding, catching as many
insects as possible to build up their fat content in preparation for their long
migration back to Europe.
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| the wings of the alate |
Evidently
with these rains, the added bonus
is the number of flying termites (often incorrectly called flying ants) that appear.
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| an alate destined for a life underground |
Flying termites are extremely
difficult to photograph, but very interesting to observe. The ones not consumed
by the birds, end up on the ground and shed their wings. These alates, as that
is what they are referred to, are at this stage of their life cycle very high
in nutrition levels.This is their nuptial flight and if they make it to the
ground become destined to remain underground for the rest of their life.
