What did you learn about nature this week? I was tickled to realize I had learned to recognize Euphorbia dioeca ! Such a small plant but it feels like a tremendous accomplishment since there are four different native species of Euphorbia in my new garden. Immense thanks to @nathantaylor . (Also somet…

Leafcutter ants do that too. They take the blades of grass or other stuff into their nests and farm the fungus that grows on it.

Really! What about leafcutter bees, do you know?

Gut biomes prove that a vast swath of species (including us, of course) rely heavily on partner species for survival.

Leafcutter bees use the leaves as construction material – they make little “pots” that they fill with pollen for the larva. Other species in the family use mud or resin or plant wool or chewed-up leaf mortar instead of leaf sections for the same purpose.

Well now I know from reading your post that they exist. The ant thing was just something I saw in David Attenborough’s Planet Earth series.

Unborn baby sharks swim from one uterus to the other. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/baby-shark-filmed-swimming-around-inside-its-mother/579403/ I also learned from that piece that embryonic turtles will move to the warmest side of their shells.

Cool things we have in common with fungi: Heterotrophic Take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide for respiration We are both opisthokonts! Our motile cells have a single posterior flagellum, as opposed to plants and most protists which have two anterior flagella. Aside from chytrids most fungi n…

Yes! We are closer related to any mushroom than any plant. I believe that the next 50 years in fungal research with new tools will reveal multiple order of magnitudes of detailed awe about this secret kingdom. They’re not only mostly out of our visual sight, but so much of their wonder lies in thei…

Yet another invasive species to look out for: https://entomologytoday.org/2025/11/24/elm-zigzag-sawfly-spreading-fast-zelkova-trees/

Lifelong learning: what did you learn this week?

Nature Talk

ItsMeLucy January 30, 2026, 1:10am 117

They are amazing – here’s a sequence of one at work!

Topic		Replies	Views
What are your favorite examples of animal camouflage/mimicry? Nature Talk	105	5269	June 13, 2026
Nature-inspired memes Nature Talk mostly-humor	963	63501	July 29, 2026
Show us your spots! Nature Talk	135	2311	July 22, 2026
Wow us with wasps Nature Talk	113	2090	March 8, 2025
What is your Favorite Lifer from this week? Nature Talk	3538	88499	July 30, 2026

Lifelong learning: what did you learn this week?

Related topics