LEAFCUTTER ANTS WORKING!

I just got photos of Leafcutter ants working at today morning! I found a cranny in the corner of my porch, surrounded by many leaves. You can see the "door" of their nest inside the ground and the Leafcutter ants carrying green leaves to indoors!
Click to enlarge and view details.

Leafcutter ants loves this shrubs, named Duranta repens 'Aurea', which common name is golden dewdrop, "pingo de ouro" in Portuguese.

You can see the damage on the bare branch's shrubs!

Photos by Sonia A. Mascaro

LEAFCUTTER ANTS

Atualizei este post para participar do Ecological Day hospedado pelo Caliandra do Cerrado
I update this post to participate on Ecological Day hostes by Caliandra do Cerrado

You can see the trails made by Leafcutter Ants on my garden.

Leafcutter ants are social insects found in warmer regions of Central and South America. The ants get their name from the way they cut leaves from trees, which they then haul back to their nest. The Leafcutter don't eat the leaves, they are species of ants that are fungus farmers, they cultivate (grow) their own food, a type of fungus, in underground gardens. Leafcutter ants comprise two genera — Atta and Acromyrmex — with a total of 39 species, some of which are major agricultural pests. For example, some Atta species are capable of defoliating an entire citrus tree in less than 24 hours.

Trail pheromones: Leafcutter ants lay down an initial trail of pheromones as they return to the nest with food. This trail attracts other ants and serves as a guide. As long as the food source remains, the pheromone trail will be continually renewed.




Did you know? Leaf-cutting ants harvest more greenery in South American forests than any other animal. In fact, within the rain forest, leaf-cutter ants consume almost 20% of the annual vegetation growth! In its lifetime, a colony of these ants may move over 20 tons of soil. You can learn more about Leafcutter ants here, here and here.

As formigas cortadeiras são insetos sociais encontrados exclusivamente nas regiões tropicais e subtropicais das Américas. As formigas cortadeiras compreendem 2 gêneros de formigas cultivadoras de fungos, Atta e Acromyrmex, com um total de cerca de 40 espécies, alguns dos quais são sérias pragas agrícolas. As formigas cortadeiras são insetos desfolhadores e são capazes de desfolhar uma laranjeira inteira em menos de 24 horas. No Brasil, as formigas do gênero Atta são conhecidas popularmente como saúvas e as Acromyrmex como quenquéns. A população de um ninho adulto pode conter até vários milhões de formigas. As formigas cortadeiras não comem as plantas, mas cortam os vegetais e transportam os pedaços para o formigueiro onde esse material é utilizado para o cultivo de um fungo do qual se alimentam.

Trilha de feromônios: As formigas andam em filas, deixando no chão rastros químicos, os feromônios, que carregam odores com o cheiro da colônia a que pertencem, para que elas não se percam. Esses rastros são sua forma de comunicação.

Here you can see the hole of their nests. A mature leafcutter colony can contain more than 8 million ants, mostly sterile female workers. Leafcutter ants build huge nests, sometimes 30 feet across and 20 feet deep, which have several entrances, perhaps hundreds of yards apart. The colony is ruled by a single queen, an ant about the size of a baby mouse. She is 800 times heavier than her smallest worker! The queen may live for up to 20 years. After her death, the colony will fall in to a state of chaos and die along with her.

Photos by Sonia A. Mascaro

As I could not to take photos of the ants, here are some photos I founded on the web.

Photo by Best of un!art Fotos 2006

Photo by National Geographic


Photo by Wikipedia



Photo by The Flying Kiwi, Richard Seaman

Click on photos to enlarge

Opel Flextreme Concept-2008

Opel's Flextreme concept car, which makes its premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt (September 13 – 23, 2007), boasts the body of a dynamic monocab,as well as the completely new environmentally friendly E-Flex electric propulsion concept and a host of innovative details like-

* Exterior design: Dynamic design language in compact monocab form
* Interior: Futuristic and top technology
* Propulsion: Low-emission mobility with
Flex technology
* Plug-in: full capacity after three hours of charging at 220 volts
* Doors: Unconventional and practical


Opel Flextreme Concept Expected to Achieve Less Than 40 gm/km CO2 Emissions Plug-in electric Vehicle Features 55 Km of Emissions-Free Range






Engine Configuration
Model: Flextreme Concept
Cylinders: 3
Aspiration/Induction: TurboDiesel
Displacement: 1.30 L | 79.3 cu in. | 1299.7 cc.
Fuel Type: Diesel

Dimensions
Length: 4796.001 mm | 188.8 in.

BRASÍLIA, CAPITAL OF BRAZIL

Brasília is the capital of Brazil, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 2,383,784 as of the 2006 census estimate, and is the seat of the federal government: the President (residing in the Palácio da Alvorada), the Brazilian supreme court and the Brazilian parliament. Brasília is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

These photos were taken by my son Fernando in June 2007

Catedral Metropolitana "Nossa Senhora Aparecida"

Brasília's Cathedral - Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida, by Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian Architect, born 1907.

Our Lady of Aparecida is the patron saint of Brazil, represented by a statue of the Virgin Mary.

A Catedral, o Congresso Nacional e a Esplanada dos Ministérios

The Catedral, National Congress and Ministries Esplanade

Fernando in front the Ministries Esplanades at left and the Catedral at right

Palácio do Itamaraty

Itamaraty Palace

Palácio do Itamaraty. Em primeiro plano a escultura "Meteoro", do escultor Bruno Giorgi.

Itamaraty Palace is the name of the building of the head office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Itamaraty is one of Niemeyer's most radiant buildings. The bridge over an enormous ornamental pool dotted with islands of tropical plants leads to one of the largest public art collections in Brazil. The Brazilian artist Bruno Giorgi (1905 - 1993) (the same artist who created the Hanging Angels in the Brasilia Cathedral) carved the sculpture "Meteoro" from a single four-ton block of Carrar marble, which has been exposed in the water garden in front of the Palace since 1967.

Palácio do Planalto

The Palácio do Planalto is the official workplace of the President of Brazil. It is located at the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília.

O Palácio da Alvorada, residência oficial do Presidente da República

The Palace of the Dawn is the official residence of the Presidente of Brazil. The palace was designed, along the rest of the city of Brasília, by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1958

Congresso Nacional

National Congress

Brazil's bicameral National Congress, consists of Senate of Brazil (the upper house) and and the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil (the lower house)

National Congress

Museu Nacional, Complexo Cultural da República
Cultural Complex of the Republic

View from the interior of the Cultural Complex of the Republic

Procuradoria Geral da República

Federal Prosecutors' Office is another project by Oscar Niemeyer

The Juscelino Kubitschek bridge, also known as the 'President JK Bridge' or the 'JK Bridge', crosses Lake Paranoá in Brasília. It is named afterJuscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, former President of Brazil. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde.

Ponte Juscelino Kubitschek, também conhecida como "Ponte JK", foi inaugurada em dezembro de 2002.

Photos by Fernando de A. Mascaro

Click on photos to enlarge

Mitsubishi Concept-ZT-2008

Year: 2008
Model: Concept-ZT
Drive Type: AWD
Body Material: Aluminum space frame

Engine Configuration
Cylinders: 4
Aspiration/Induction: TurboDiesel
Displacement: 2.20 L | 134.2 cu in. | 2199.5 cc.
Valves: 16 valves.
Valvetrain: DOHC
Horsepower: 140.00 kw (190.3 HP)
Torque: 400.00 NM (294.9 Ft-Lbs)
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Feed: Fuel Injected
Transmission: Manual

Dimensions
Seating Capacity: 5
Doors: 4

Mercury Grand Marquis-2008

Engine Configuration
Cylinders: 8
Aspiration/Induction: Normal
Displacement: 4.60 L | 280.7 cu in. | 4600.7 cc.
Valves: 16 valves.
Horsepower: 224.00 HP (164.9 KW) @ 4800.00 RPM
Torque: 272.00 Ft-Lbs (368.8 NM) @ 4000.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio: 18.5 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter 48.7 BHP / Liter
Compression Ratio: 9.4:1
Gears: 4
Final Drive: 2.73:1

Dimensions
Cargo Volume: 20.60
Passenger Volume: 107.40
Towing Capacity: 1500.001 lbs
Fuel Capacity: 19.0 Gal
Seating Capacity: 5
Doors: 4


Brakes
Front Brake Size: 12.001 in | 304.8 mm.
Rear Brake Size: 12.001 in | 304.8 mm.

Tires / Wheels
Tires: P225/60R16
Wheels: 16-in steel

CLOUDS

Photos taken by my son Fernando


Click on photos to enlarge