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In any light the stink bug sex is kind of an indelicate affair, always back to back. Here the bugs engage in coitus on the 6-inch long (15 cm) seeds of the Emporer's Candlesticks.
Senna alata is in the Pea family but it resembles ginger with its sugary blooms, which are what likely attracts the carpenter ants. Emperor's Candlesticks are not native to Florida but have become naturalized. They were first identified in Java in 1755.
These carpenter ants, most likely black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) are a nuisance if they get into the house. There are at least 1,000 species of carpenter ants but the most common species in the USA is the black carpenter ant.
While the ants don't necessarily eat the wood of a home's roof they can contribute to wood decay by building their nests therein and causing the wood to stay moist. Despite their name they are foragers that typically eat parts of other dead insects or substances derived from other insects. Common foods include plant secretions and they are especially fond of aphid goo. . . or aphid secretion. They will protect aphids in order to eat their secretions. Nice.
I've seen no aphids on the Emperor's Candlesticks but there are literally millions of the ants protecting the blooms 24/7. We much prefer them to stay on the flowers than in the house.
Due to the summer's very hot temperatures and stable weather (no tropical storms so far) the Emperor's Candlesticks are very tall and covered with blooms. When it does rain they droop from the moisture so I have tied up all the taller plants to nearby trees.
BUTTERFLY COLONY EVOLUTION
The one large colony of Zebra Longwing or Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charthonia or Heliconius chartonius) butterflies from last November has split into two distinct and growing colonies of new individuals.
The first colony roost on a flimsy clump of Spanish Moss in a stand of bamboo by one of the ponds. The other colony (below) has chosen a sturdier (but dead) Live Oak limb about 6-feet (2 m) off the ground. Read more about why these butterflies roost in a colony at:
Now Red Tide Rick, a Trump Confidant, Wants to Be A Senator
Florida governor booed out of restaurant over red tide algae issues
Florida's hated Republican Gov. Rick Scott was booed out of a restaurant as protesters vented their frustration over the state’s red tide crisis.
Scott was making a campaign stop in Venice, Fla., when he was met with angry mob of protesters outside of Mojo’s Real Cuban restaurant on Monday, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. The governor, who is term-limited under Florida's Constitution, is currently in a tight race against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D) for Nelson's seat.
He entered the restaurant but only stayed about 10 minutes before he left to a booing crowd.
.@FLGovScott exits back door after just 10 minutes in restaurant crowd booing and shouting “coward”— Zac Anderson (@zacjanderson)
Florida has been hit by a widespread epidemic of toxic algae — also known as red tide — that is harmful to humans and kills thousands of fish. The phenomenon is common in the Gulf of Mexico, but scientists said that global warming has increased the size and location of the problem.
Protesters outside the restaurant reportedly chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, red tide Rick has got to go" and held signs that dubbed him “red tide Rick.”
John Citara, a Sarasota resident, came to protest Scott wearing a white hazmat suit and gas mask. He told the newspaper that he and his sons go to the beach now to document the environmental crisis — not to swim.
“Once you wipe out the economy and the tourism, Florida’s dead,” Citara said. “If this doesn’t show us we need to do things differently and hold people accountable, what will?”
John Citara of Sarasota says Rick Scott’s “environmental record as far as cutting the funds has really taken a toll.”— Zac Anderson (@zacjanderson)
Scott’s critics told the newspaper that he is only exacerbating the problem.
.@FLGovScott exits back door after just 10 minutes in restaurant crowd booing and shouting “coward” pic.twitter.com/ixiyxE1juV— Zac Anderson (@zacjanderson) September 17, 2018
Increased nutrient levels in water from leaking septic tanks or lawn fertilizer causes red tide blooms to develop, the Herald-Tribune noted.
Scott signed legislation that repealed mandatory septic tank inspections in 2012. As governor, he has also cut $700 million from the state’s water management districts and reduced staffing at Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, the newspaper added.
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