Moths - Masters of Camouflage and Mimicry (Part 1)

If I freeze your beauty and wear it on my heart,
I rob Nature, her grace apart; a star dies, so with art.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

Art of Camouflage 

Your artful disguise 

makes you invisible and free;  

Nature's given prize
of camouflage and mimicry.

Footprint Moth

If these two sets of footprints

lead to opposite directions, 

did you depart when  I needed you most?

What goodness did I lack?

"My child, you were alone 

and lost and I brought you back."

Kite Moth

It is not only that birds follow the sun

that the sky is filled with colors and laughter;

it is your body symmetry copied for fun,

that children believe they own the sky

and make imagination their best teacher,

even in their dreams to fly.

STOL Moth

If your wings are for short takeoff and speed,

and your long antennae and infrared eyes 

defy the darkness of night, then I believe

someone has copied you in steel that flies. 

Jade Moth

If I freeze your beauty

and wear it on my heart,

I rob Nature, her grace apart; 

a star dies, so with art.

False Eyes

Whose eyes these are, real or just mask?

Why grotesque and cold, the children ask?

Unmoved, you simply sleep and wait 'til dawn,

and they ask again if they were your own.  

Stealth Moth

Man copied you but for another purpose;

peace and quiet you live, his intent is not,

but to rule the sky fiery by day and night; 

cheer up, for imitation will never be right.  

Falcon Moth

You are on the ceiling all alone

and the toad looking up

thinks of you a falcon;

in make-believe it's good to be up

with reverse role as predator;

everything's prey on the floor. 

Hidden Mirror on the Wall

No, it's not Paleolithic painting,

but hidden mirror on the wall:

Bless you creature in slumber waiting 

the light of the world to fall,

then seek a beacon in the night

where a pen draws its might.

Atlas Moth

Thought you could put one on Hercules,*

from the burden of the world you're free; 

so thought too, the dinosaurs in spree;

bigness is no guarantee no less;

birds fly on wings and hollow bones,

flies need not four wings but two,

none but the water strider glides best - 

be humble, bigness is weakness, too.  

* In Greek mythology, Atlas played trick on Hercules to take 

over him carry the globe; but Hercules was smarter, 

and the task fell back on poor Atlas.  

Ghost Moth

From visibility to invincibility;

first, keep low like ice in thaw; 

then, keep shape with the scape, 

wear some spots, add many dots;

last, you're ghost to any host.

Chameleon Moth 

Where comes the trigger I know 

are hormones by signal flow, 

masking colors, painting a view, 

to match a perfect scenario.

Lion Moth

You look like a lion without mane,

and that's why you look tame;

how in the world can you scare 

with your lonely, friendly stare. 

Prominent Moth

(How can you be prominent?)

Who would like you a frass lying still on crust,

feigning inanimate to pass the day in fast. 

Vesper Moth

You, who keep the faithful in vigil,

wearing a white stole over a holy robe - 

would being pious save you long?

Beaks and jaws simply don't care,

much less the order you belong

Tiger Moth

It is the tiger look that you seem respected,

else the mourning signal you send;

but whose view but the cruel beak instead

whose judgment lies your fateful end.  

Tapestry Moth

What you designed, man now claims his own,

yet it was your ancestors' pride before his dawn;

conditionally you gave, for a prize you crave,

by copying his art you may be saved. 

Poison Eater Moth
Moth feeding on the nectar of Lantana (Lantana camara) 
a poisonous and obnoxious plant

What secret have you on hemlock you thrive,

which once robbed the world of a great mind?

Come to where there's li'l left of faith and pride;

bless you little moth, a messenger divine.

Battered Moth

Wings chipped, scales rubbed,

antennae curled, finish scrubbed;

eggs laid, leg cut, coat creased,

grounded, mission accomplished. 

Wood Moth

You look beaten like an old wood,

weathered by rain and tear and sun,

yet full of life and in good mood

like a seasoned timber's stand.

Klan Moth

With robe and hood you come and pause

in dignity, a racist you hide;

reminder of the Fuhrer's cause,

the ignoble Ku Klux Khan's pride;

but if you're a true ambassador,

please bring tidings to every door.

Continued to Part II

Moths: Masters of Camouflage and Mimicry (Part 2)

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Furry Moth

Gather the dust and clothe your frame;

Wake up at dusk and play the game;

and feigning dead and devoid of spark,

your enemies take you for just a bark.

Sphinx Moths: 

                            Polymorphism or Diversity?

These three Sphinx moths have strong basic morphological characteristics, including size and color that at first glance one would not suspect their differences.  The shape and position of their antennae are different, so with their "hoods".  Another difference lies in the markings on their bodies and wings.  In some cases a pair of eyes (lowermost photo) appears real to a would-be predator.  

Markings and Transparency

Two ways to mimic and not be seen,

opaque and part of canvas;

or translucent as if you're not there, 

and let the enemy pass. 

The Art of Taking Off

Either it flaps or glides on the wind that a moth flies.  It can be both, Left photo shows a gypsy moth preparing for takeoff with wings drawn up.  At this stage, the predator is puzzled of the sudden transformation into a bright and large abdomen, while the moth flies and escape.  A hawk moth (right)  spreads its wings side wise and prepares to glide.  Without a favorable wind current it is a clumsy flyer.  Because moths are nocturnal, navigation relies mainly on the sensitive antennae and two compound eyes.  

From Dropping to Monster

This Geometrid moth lies prostrate like a dropping of a bird or rodent in order to escape its enemies. Then it begins to stir as it senses danger, its antennae now beginning to rise, and its wings start to split open ready for takeoff.  There is a close relative of the moth (not in the photo) which has a unique defense mechanism.  It twists its outer wings upward and inward, exposing a monstrous look to scare the intruder 

Household tips on removing bubblegum on fabric, and opening bottles with stuck lids

Dr Abe V Rotor
To remove bubblegum stuck on fabric, freeze it first and peel off.
Don't force to remove freshly  stuck gum on cloth, otherwise it will spread and stick more.  Carefully place stained cloth in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify.  You will be surprised that the gum will peel off easily.  Warm water and a little detergent will take care of the rest of the job. 
 
For bottles that are difficult to open, heat the lid.
This technique ideally applies to glass jars with metal cover.The principle involved is that metal and other materials expand when heated, and contract when it is subjected to cold.  The lid readily expands when heated while the glass jar doesn't expand as much. Heat also melts wax and loosen sticky materials.

Reference: Living with Folk Wisdom by AV Rotor, UST Publishing House 2008; acknowledgement: Internet illustrations

Would you kill a firefly?

Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog [avrotor.blogspot.com]

 Closeup of the firefly world-newsupdate.blogspot.com/2009/03/firefly...

 Entomology team from UST Graduate School headed by the author.

Man is the insect buster; self proclaimed, strong and bold; he conquers his greatest enemy, wasting no time. He has read enough books, and turned away from the old. He’s Pied Piper now in new adventure in his prime.

To the rescue, he rid the world of aliens and all their kin; "I am Gulliver," he said to the imagined Lilliputians. With gloves and boots, armed with tools of the modern kind, he saw himself riding to the West against the Indians.

Make way for this nemesis, the bugs run for your lives; they dropped dead, crushed, unbearable was the pain. Their shelter stormed, their nests torn, so with their hives. It’s reminiscent of Pompeii where the ruins reign. 

The air is stilled, there’s no more music in the night; the pond is clear, but where have the fishes gone? Plants still bloom, but their flowers are no longer bright. Where are the bees and butterflies that meet the sun?
 
Frogs no longer croak, silent are the fields and the trees; Where’s the cicada shrilling with joy, the cricket at night, the melodious songs and calls of birds that never cease, the mayfly’s visit, or the moth’s over a candlelight?

Suddenly the world became still. Didn't Rachel Carson tell in Silent Spring the birds didn't arrive one spring? Or in biblical times, didn't a cloud of death over a zone killed creatures one by one, the survivors migrating?

Where have all the sweetest sugar and flowing silk gone? Their makers, the busy bee and the the naive worms? They too, have been stilled forever by the same poison that killed the evil ones and their ugly forms. 

Didn't Alexander the Great die on the Euphrates of malaria? Or the Pharaoh Menes of bee venom? Thousands died building the Panama Canal and Suez Canal, and more death blamed to insects still unknown. 

Who would like the fly around? But without it the dead would litter the ground, more so without the Scarabid beetle. Who would eat remnants of an enemy, diseases they spread? For certain man doesn't like to die first? God forbid.

His joy to conquer lies in his genes, even against his kind, much less the lowly crawlers, for revenge or just game. Yes, man is insect buster, self righteous, self-proclaimed - but would he dare to kill a firefly just the same? ~

Daddy-long-legs, the "invisible" insect

Assignment in Advanced Ecology, UST Graduate School.
Research on this insect's very unusual mechanism of survival, and enigmatic life cycle.
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog

Daddy-long-legs (Tipula sp) photographed with fast shutter to freeze the insect. The insect belongs to Diptera, the Order of flies and mosquitoes. Note pair of hind wings reduced into balancers called halteres. 

Ginggined - that's its Ilocano name,
quaking all the time while at rest;
its body and shadow are but a haze,
a unique camouflage at its best.

Surreptitiously I watched for an hour,
which one of us would long endure;
I lost - and it was quaking still;
and soon I was seeing a whole tour.

A mating signal, a body language;
match making in an orgy fashion;
pair by pair they took into the air;
        whoever thought of this evolution. ~   

Cockroach: Filthiest Creature

Dr Abe V Rotor

Life cycle of the American cockroach - egg, nymph, adult. Acknowledgment:

This excellent photograph is courtesy of University of Lincoln-Nebraska Dept. of Entomology

And, cockroaches eat on anything - almost.

Being omnivorous, cockroaches voraciously consume all kinds of materials that are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils. But when these are not available they turn to unlikely food source like soap, photographic film, clothes, wood and drugs. In fact they even turn into predators, devouring other insects, and sometimes biting people in their sleep. Their bite often gets swollen and infected. Cockroaches are found in all places where humans live and conduct his trade, commerce and industry. Only rats can be compared with the tenacity of the cockroach.

The cockroach has very powerful digestive enzymes: proteases digest protein, invertase breaks complex sugar, and amylase breaks starches. Its saliva contains powerful enzymes coming from the gastric caeca, while the Malphigian tubules secrete an enzyme that is equally disgusting. It is no wonder that just a single frass (feces) can spoil a whole pot of rice by its obnoxious smell. By the way there are three most common species that we encounter in the home and public places. These are the American cockroach or Periplaneta americana (large, rust red with a yellow band across its thorax), the German cockroach or Blatta germanica (pale yellow, only one-third the size of the American species) and the oriental cockroach or Blatta orientalis (dark brown to black, the biggest and filthiest of all cockroaches.)

Meticulous sanitation is the best way to get rid of cockroaches. To keep their population down, sprinkle carbamate (Sevin) on the kitchen floor, pathways and possible hideout of the pest, preferably before retiring at night. Keep doors and screens properly closed to prevent entry of the insect.~

Living with Folk Wisdom, AVR-UST

The Seven “Rs” to Reduce Pollution

Folk Wisdom for Growing Up (Summer Workshop Lesson)
Dr Abe V Rotor 
Living with Nature School on Blog

  Reduce, Replace, Regulate, Recycle, Replenish, Reserve,  Revere

Live close to nature, enjoy her beauty and bounty.  In return, reduce pollution,  help in the maintenance of  well balance ecosystems

                                               1. Reduce

      Pollution management should start at the very source. Thus, the key to managing pollution should be the reduction of potential waste materials. Before buying anything, the main question you ask yourself is: “Is it necessary?” Many of us are enticed by the aesthetics of goods, which merely attracts us into buying.  One strategy which manufacturers and sellers employ is “over packaging.”  A great part of the money we pay for a commodity goes to its packaging. 

     Take for example, canned drinks. Two-third of the value of canned cola goes to the can and advertisement. It is packaging, which amounts to a large percentage of waste on one hand, and causes the depletion of the supply of raw materials, on the other. In a study in the United States, 46 percent of the recycled thrash is packaging materials. In both cases, it is Mother Nature that bears the brunt of pollution and depletion.

2. Replace

      As a rule, biodegradable materials – those that disintegrate and decompose under natural conditions - are environment-friendly, on condition that they are properly disposed. As much as possible the manufacture and use of non-biodegradable materials, such as plastics and related products like nylon, styropore and rayon, must be limited. Some plastic materials may have a life span that extends up to millions of years.  This means these materials will virtually remain the same – or until our sun has expanded on its way to becoming a supernova.  

     Environmentalists in the US and Europe have launched a campaign to promote products that have the least impact on the environment.  In these regions, citizens boycott establishments like fast-food outlets that use styropores and plastics.

     Fortunately we are currently witnessing the slow return of waxed paper and paper cups. More and more people are using natural packaging materials such as banana leaves, rice hay, seaweeds, rice hull, wood shavings.

3. Regulate

      This refers to the need of an effective governance system for waste management. This case in point is the limited capacity of Metro Manila Development Authority in handling the gargantuan task of pollution management next to impossible.       The outstanding amount of trash generated by Metro Manila, a city with 10 million inhabitants, and the peculiar geophysical, socioeconomic, and its peculiar political setup, make the task even more formidable. 

Cars are the Number One polluters of the Earth 
    
 All over the world, there is need for effective governance in environmental management. Time and consequence are of the essence as more and more people are dying or getting sick, and piles of garbage are building up. Five international conferences on environment have been called, the first of which was in 1972 at Stockholm, followed by similar summits in Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro and Kyoto, and lately in Mexico.  All failed to establish a global body that can regulate man’s abuse on nature and therefore guarantee the health of our planet and that of future generations.       

4. Recycle.

     Recycling refers to the process of using a material again and again, either in its original state or in another form – and perhaps for a different function. 

     Durable materials that can be recycled include wood, glass, metal, concrete, and the like. Bottles, for one, can be used up to three times over.  Concrete is recycled in construction sites, so with steel bars. Broken furniture can be renovated, so with many home decor. Appliances are being repaired rather being disposed for new ones. The age of second hands is here. We find more and more garage sales. Ukay-ukay (UK), anyone? Kitchen refuse and farm residues are now converted into organic fertilizer. The late Filipino inventor, Abraham Tadeja was one of the pioneers in organic manufacturing at the Payatas dumpsite.  

      These days, research has discovered modern ways of recycling more complex products.  Old tires, for example, are deep-frozen and pulverized, instead of being burned or melted. Broken glass and asphalt are now made into glasphalt – an excellent material for road overlay.

      At present, Germany is the world’s leader in garbage recycling. Germans have developed a technology for recycling aluminum more times than conventional recycling does.  This translates into fewer demands for bauxite, the ore of aluminum.

     But the downside is that the Germans have been producing more waste lately, giving the world the impression that waste recycling must be a good business, now actually an industry in Germany,  instead of just a  recourse in solving environmental problems.   

5. Replenish.

      There is a saying in ecology, there is no such thing as “free lunch.”  There is always a cost of everything we get from nature..  When we cut down a tree, we “harvest” the soil nutrients that made the wood, take away its cooling effect on its surroundings, the oxygen it gives off in the air, and deprive a multitude of organisms that depend on it. Pollution should be understood on the basis of such an equation.

-----------------------------------------

     “Lead, cadmium, selenium, toxic heavy metals arsenic, chloro-hydrocarbons polychlorinated diphenyls cause behavioral symptoms, and loss of appetite, among other effects.  Lead is a highly potent nerve poison. Although lead exists naturally at low concentration, it is has increased to 30 times the normal level.”

-------------------------------------

 Raise native breeds.  Imported breeds require high dose of antibiotics, expensive feeds,  special housing and maintenance facilities. 

------------------------------

     Cutting down a tree is therefore, indirect pollution. When we destroy a tree, we contribute to the buildup of CO2 by reducing the amount of O2 generated by that tree.  This ultimately contributes to global warming.

     We destroy the symbionts of the tree, such as earthworms and termites that convert waste materials into stable forms – forms that are recycled for the use of the next generation of organisms.

 Recycle: Refill spent ball pens; make pencil caps to extend life of pencil and for protection 

 Make your own mineral water with malunggay seeds, and sell it too, in the neighborhood.  

 Use biodegradable materials like banana leaves as substitute of plastic.


6. Reserve

     The US is reserving its oil while there is oil available in the world market.  Japan is not cutting its forest trees.  It imports logs from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. More and more areas are declared parks and reservations before they are claimed for agriculture, industry and settlements.  To reserve is to postpone the consumption of a resource, and when there is no intention for that purpose but keep it in its natural state, to reserve means to preserve.

    Sometimes controversy rises over such logic. For example, we have not resolved the issue of total ban on logging versus selective logging. The economists say that mature trees when left unharvested deprive the country of potential gain.  Ecologists say, there is more to gain ultimately from an undisturbed ecosystem. Again, this merely shows the importance of effective environmental governance, particularly where issues like this remain unresolved.  Meantime forests are left unprotected, and become subject to various abuses. Before we know it this natural resource is gone. It is this attitude that is predisposing many countries to lose their chance to preserve the environment.

7. Revere

     Reverence for life.  This is the founding philosophy of both natural and social science, and the guiding spirit of great men and women such as Charles Darwin, Albert Schweitzer, David Livingstone, Jean Fabre, Louis Pasteur, Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, and King Solomon, to name a few. These people succeeded in their mission to make this world a better place to live in, through their examples and discoveries that lead towards loving and caring the earth.

     Let us love the Earth, our only spaceship that gives us all the things we need to be alive and happy.  Let’s give our share, even just to help in Nature’s housekeeping.  x  x  x

The Mandala - Eighth Wonder of the World

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog 

The mandala adds to the quaintness and joy of farm life to these children, particularly in
the harvest months in October to December. Detail of mural by AVR, 2008

The mandala is perhaps the eighth wonder of the world. It is a feat attributed to the farmer's ingenuity - and serendipity - that evolved through generations and eons of time, a feat nowhere to find, and nothing to compare with.

Here are some amazing features of the mandala.

• Without any structural reinforcement except a single bamboo post at the center, this giant mushroom-like heap of rice hay can grow to several feet high. (physics and engineering principle)

• When it rains the haystack gets wet only on the outside (surface tension or animal fur principle).

• There is natural ventilation inside the stack preventing growth of fungi and bacteria, and the buildup of heat. (air-conditioning system principle)

• Aerodynamics keeps the structure in shape, whatever is the strength and direction of wind. (wind tunnel test principle)

• The haystack supplies domestic animals their regular supply of roughage, until the next harvest comes. As the lower part of the stack is consumed by the animal the whole weight slowly comes down to replenish it. (silo storage principle)

• The remaining hay is used as mulch for vegetables and seedlings. It is also used as mushroom bed, and material for making compost. (microbiological action principle)

• It is often a practice to stock palay-on-the-stalk (unthreshed) mandala style, a practical way of storage, where there are no poachers and rodents. (buffer stock eonomics principle)

• Grain leftovers and spillages that otherise go to waste are gleaned by farm animals and ground fowls. Now and then the hay is used for makeshift shelter and floor matting. (waste utilization principle)

• Hay is used to start a fire, it is burned to make shampoo, for firing bricks, and the ash is used as cleaning material and component of hollow block. (development of alternative, environment-friendly, products and energy principle)

Detail of mural by the author 

• The mandala is a associated with village festivities. Our national artist, Fernando Amorsolo painted immortal scenes around the mandala. (sociology and humanities principle)

• Next time you go to the countryside during harvest time, don't only pause, stay for a while and be part of a celebration beside a mandala - symbol of nature's bounty and man's thanksgiving. (Celebration of Life principle)

Here is a poem I wrote beside a mandala in Batac, Ilocos Norte, some years ago.

Whose hands shaped these giant mushrooms
dotting the fields far as one can see?
Helios' or Ceres' brooms 
or the busy hands of the bee?

Combed in a cone so perfect,
measured to shape by a gauge,
yet no burin or rule lies the secret,
but skill seasoned with age.

Totempoles of grassroots structure
are for toil and thanksgiving;
the rich panicles nurtured by nature
were earned by honest living.

Here lies the haystacks' might,
motionless and silent in a row;
within, like in the farmer, vibrates life,
life for him and the world tomorrow. ~

- Light in the Woods, AVR 1995


Left, Haystack by Claude Monet; Siesta by a Haystack by Vicent Van Gogh
 Haystacks, by other artists, capture as well the quaintness of the scene.