"Life in the undergrowth" is a five-part
BBC series about insects, spiders, snails and other bugs. New recording
technology makes the critters come to life in ways we haven't seen before. The
whole extravaganza is hosted, as it should be, by David Attenborough. Full
disclosure: I haven't seen the entire series, only the official sneak peaks
posted by BBC Nature at Youtube. I'm scared stiff already! "This series
will cure your arachnophobia" according to the promotion material. I can
assure you that it didn't work on my humble self...
The bizarre 17-year life cycle of cicadas, literal wars between ants and termites, carnivorous larvae using silk threads to catch their prey, gall wasps, giant Asian honeybees, ants that live in the tidal zone (!) of a mangrove swamp...that's just some of the action in the undergrowth. My favourite are the blue wing butterflies, the larvae of which live inside ant nests for protection. However, a parasitic wasp has the ability to locate the hidden larvae inside the nests, trick the ants into attacking each other, and then lay its eggs inside the poor larva anyway! Another favourite of mine are the termites, the mounds of which are really gigantic thermostats?!
As David Attenborough points out, insects and other "bugs" would hardly notice our disappearance, but we would surely notice theirs - and the ecological disaster that would follow. As somebody pointed out long ago: God loves beetles. If you have the same strange appetite, "Life in the Undergrowth" will give you a real treat. Personally, I'm even more scared of creeping, crawling, flying things after seeing this, than I was before.
I'm bugging out, LOL.
The bizarre 17-year life cycle of cicadas, literal wars between ants and termites, carnivorous larvae using silk threads to catch their prey, gall wasps, giant Asian honeybees, ants that live in the tidal zone (!) of a mangrove swamp...that's just some of the action in the undergrowth. My favourite are the blue wing butterflies, the larvae of which live inside ant nests for protection. However, a parasitic wasp has the ability to locate the hidden larvae inside the nests, trick the ants into attacking each other, and then lay its eggs inside the poor larva anyway! Another favourite of mine are the termites, the mounds of which are really gigantic thermostats?!
As David Attenborough points out, insects and other "bugs" would hardly notice our disappearance, but we would surely notice theirs - and the ecological disaster that would follow. As somebody pointed out long ago: God loves beetles. If you have the same strange appetite, "Life in the Undergrowth" will give you a real treat. Personally, I'm even more scared of creeping, crawling, flying things after seeing this, than I was before.
I'm bugging out, LOL.
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