What Are Your Favorite Nature Experiances?

[DebbieK]

Believe it or not, a common ant. It was its behavior that was fascinating. I was camping with friends outside of Austin, Texas when I was a teenager. One of the guys would eat half of an Oreo cookie (the half with the icing) and drop the other half on the ground. I was sitting on the ground and along came an ant and found it. It walked up to it and touched it, then backed off, and then forward and touched it again. Then it walked away, as it could not believe its senses, then turned back and touched it again. Then it ran around it, and eventually got up on top and surveilled around it. I was reminded of the Daffy Duck cartoon when he discovered the cave of Ali Baba with all the gold and jewels and kept saying “I’m Rich! Rich, I say!”. Then along came another ant and it got down off the top and started fighting it, and the newcomer finally ran away, probably to gather troops to take the cookie away. I was amazed at the display of greed in a little ant, and how much they have in common with humans. I felt sorry for the little guy and picked him and the cookie up and moved it away from the trail of the others, so it could be the richest ant in the world for at least a little while longer.