Wayne's Trivia Notes #42
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 Wayne's Trivia Notes #42   © W.P. Armstrong    All Facebook Notes & Images   
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Wayne's Trivia Note #897

Cardio Coincidence: I am currently seeing a cardiologist, wearing a cardiac monitor, and just found the unusual, fascinating ant Cardiocondyla with a heart-shaped postpetiole node!

Wayne's Trivia Note #898

My latest edible ants came from China. They are reportedly nutritious; however, I think their taste is slightly overrated: ... "Black Ants are a favorite among top chefs. That burst of citrus along with a nice light crunch creates a pleasant surprise. Used as a replacement for lemon or lime, a simple dish becomes a culinary adventure few will ever forget."

 1 Jan. 2024: My Official Trivia Notes #899 & #900   

Wayne's Trivia Note #899
Happy New Year 2024 To All My Facebook Friends, Family & Colleagues From Wayne's Word. Since I am fascinated with geologic time scales & the commonly mistranslated abbreviations BC & AD, I use a millennium calendar based on 1,000 year intervals! [Note: The 3rd Millennium and 21st Century Actually Began On January 1, 2001]
The first millennium of the anno Domini (AD) or Common Era was a millennium spanning the years 1 to 1000 (1st to 10th centuries). The 2nd millennium spanned the years 1001 to 2000 (11th to 20th centuries), and the 3rd millennium spanned the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries).

Wayne's Trivia Note #900

My 900th official Facebook Trivia Note & 1st new ant of 2024 (new to me) came from ETSY. It is a harvester ant from east India & Asia. My ant is a big-headed super major in the soldier caste. It is not a true army ant; however, its large, big-headed soldiers are formidable.

Wayne's Trivia Note #901


See Following Link To Complete Geologic Time Table With Links To Images
My recent posting about millennium calendars probably raised some confusion & disagreement especially about "day 1" & the translations for BC & AD. This is especially true among people with religious & secular backgrounds. Actually, in my hand-coded html geologic time table, I just use MYA (millions of years ago)! BP (before present) also works nicely. See Following Time Table With Links To Other Pages With Images:

Wayne's Trivia Note #902


An unusual rainbow over my neighborhood in Twin Oaks Valley. I took this photo 20 years ago and wanted to share it again in 2024. I have never seen any rainbows in my area like it since.

Wayne's Trivia Note #903


This is the largest non-native rat nest I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it is in dense shrubbery near my home in Twin Oaks Valley. Although I loved teaching biology, I did not enjoy rat dissection labs.

Wayne's Trivia Note #904


I remember this little butterfly growing up in Arcadia, CA. It commonly visits Lantana blossoms for nectar during summer & fall. Until today (25 Jan. 2024), I never realized its larvae feed on troublesome weedy grasses like Bermuda & crabgrass!

Wayne's Trivia Note #905


Lions in Kenya Make Fewer Zebra Kills Due To Invading Ants: Stinging, symbiotic acacia ants protect whistling thorn acacia by repelling elephants. Aggressive big-headed ants are killing acacia ants; now elephants are defoliating acacias & reducing cover lions need to sneak up on zebras (Science Vol 383, 25 Jan 2024). Elaine spotted these same big-headed ants inside corrugations on boxes at Maui farmers market! Question & answer by Tom Chester: How can stinging acacia ants repel a giant elephant? Elephant trunk lined on the inside with sensitive nerve endings where stinging ants can inflict the most pain.

Wayne's Trivia Note #906


All the recent flooding in my area reminded me of how South American invasive fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) spread by rafting. I once tested a colony to see if they formed a raft in simulated flood in my bath tub. I won't disclose the city or motel where I conducted this test on the grounds that it might incriminate me!

Wayne's Trivia Note #907

This minute bottle liverwort grows in the coastal sage scrub at Palomar College. It is listed as 1B.1: "Threatened or Endangered" on CNPS Rare Plant Inventory (Code 1A is "Presumed Extirpated"). NatureServe Explorer lists it as G1: "Critically Imperiled." Its endangered status is primarily due to habitat destruction, a common occurrence in coastal southern California.

Wayne's Trivia Note #908

1736 ft. Mt. Whitney from the Palomar College Arboretum (16 March 2024). I took many botany classes to the summit of this mountain during my career. Slightly easier than hike to summit of 14,505 ft. Mt. Whitney in Sierra Nevada!

Wayne's Trivia Note #909

March 2024: White-lined sphinx moth after emerging from its pupa stage in the rain-soaked soil. I moved it to my patio screen to dry. It flew away later that evening.

Wayne's Trivia Note #910

San Marcos Mtns: Another Botany field trip many years ago, in search of unusual shrub called Mt. Misery. This is also site of single engine plane crash & home to 3 species of rattlesnakes (Crotalus): Red Diamond (C. ruber), Southern Pacific (C. viridis helleri) & Speckled (C. mitchelli pyrrhus).

Wayne's Trivia Note #911

I once found an unusual ant head under HV power lines in Fontana. On day of recent solar eclipse, I searched for this ant colony under power lines where land is vacant. I didn't find ant, but I did capture partial solar eclipse!

Wayne's Trivia Note #912

Bottle Peak near Escondido: One of my many Palomar College Plant ID field trips many years ago. A remarkable location for Calif. Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), a native shrub of the coastal Pacific Northwest region. It is related to blueberries, cranberries & bilberries.

Wayne's Trivia Note #913

The scientific name for this naturalized European mallow in Twin Oaks Valley is incorrect in most online floras, including Kew. My explanation appears at following link. My contact at Cambridge Univ., UK plans to publish correct name according to my link. BTW, this species & related mallow (called cheeseweed in CA floras) are edible & grow in Gaza. In fact, the latter nourishing species is cooked & eaten by starving Palistinians.

Wayne's Trivia Note #914

Malva parviflora in TwinOaks Valley in spring 2010. This species also grows in Gaza region. An article in the New York times by Ben Hubbard & Bilal Shbair (7 April 2024) discusses starving Palestinians in Gaza harvesting this plant for food during Israeli military campaign (bombing) to destroy Hamas.

Wayne's Trivia Note #915

Two species of burrowing bees in bridle path in front of Wayne's Word. They rely on objects and spatial relationships to find entrance opening to their nest. They are wary (or possibly confused) when a photographer is standing too close to their nests.

Wayne's Trivia Note #916

This honey bee swarm formed temporary protective mass around queen in my olive tree. Upon finding a suitable nesting site, scout bees returned to the swarm and performed a waggle dance to tell the other colony members about the location. Based on remarkable swarm intelligence (not the queen), the colony moved to the new location where they will build a honeycomb nest, develop a new brood, and begin gathering pollen & nectar. I will miss them!