by Ken Springer
Science in Small Bites
Surgical ants and a
dangerous jack-o-lantern
Prologue: The Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton in Wyoming is 11,600 feet above sea level. The rocks at this elevation are all angular, rough, and either granite or gneiss. So, when I found a cache of smooth, rounded stones in a pseudo-cave, I had no explanation for how these river-worn stones got up there. After all, a pack filled with climbing and camping gear is heavy enough without adding rocks to the load.
The previous day I had been exploring the streets of Jackson while waiting for the rest of the climbing team to show up. I popped into a small shop that sold Native American pottery, paintings and jewelry, searching for something to take back to my wife in Ohio.
The pottery was beautiful, but being a klutz, I was afraid I might break such a gift. I finally came upon the perfect gift from a husband about to climb the Grand Teton – a silver and turquoise pendant depicting the outline of the Tetons that loom high above Jackson.
Over the next few days, my friends and I climbed the Exum route of the Grand Teton without a hitch and headed back down to Jackson Hole. I stopped back at the shop where I purchased the pendant to ask the Shoshone proprietor, Jack, about the polished stones I found on the Lower Saddle.
He told me that, in all likelihood, these stones would have been placed there many years ago by members of the local tribes, who called them “talking stones.” Jack explained that these talking stones are similar to calling cards, stating that so-and-so had climbed all the way up to the saddle connecting the Middle Teton and the Grand Teton.
We ended up going out for coffee and continued our conversation. I listened intently to Jack as he talked about how his tribe viewed nature, which is the very antithesis of how many Americans only see land as some- thing to own and extract resources from.
What I carried away from my conversation with Jack was one of reciprocity: that humans have a responsibility to care for and give back to the land in return for what it gives us in the form of food, shelter and its endless beauty.
Furthermore, we have two mothers to love and respect: that which carried us from embryo to infancy, and the primordial spark of life that mothered all living things, including trees, mountains, rivers, prairies, oceans and wildlife, as well as the heavens above.
I cannot help but think that modern humans are falling way short of this obligation to treasure and protect our planet. I wonder if it is even wise to consider colonizing other planets when ours is being further degraded every day. And each day seems to bring forth new marvels right here on our own Mother Earth.
The question is, did we keep our end of the bargain with our singularly beautiful and bountiful Earth?
Segment One: Ants that perform surgery
Science uses Latin and ancient Greek to classify lifeforms, and ants are no exception. Camponotus floridanus, or carpenter ants, have recently made the news, not for their carpentry skills – they have none – but for their surgical skills – believe it or not.
Like tiny Army medics, carpenter ants recognize injuries on their fellow ants and come to the rescue. No, they don’t have little medical bags; they are naturally equipped with mandibles to chew off a wounded leg. These six-legged surgeons are, so far, the only known creatures to perform life-saving amputations, other than humans.
The part of the ant’s body most susceptible to infection is the femur (upper leg) because the muscles here are necessary to circulate body fluids.
According to recently released studies by biologist Erik Frank, who is credited with the discovery of surgical ants, it takes about 40 minutes to amputate a femur. The survival rate for the ant patient is 90 to 95%. That’s a survival rate nearly on a par with human interventions such as a Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting at 95% to 98%, and Pancreatectomy or Abdominal Aneurysm Repair at 81% to 99% success rates. Moreover, the ants didn’t go to medical school.
As for the lower leg (Tibia), the ant doctors lick the wound to clean it with natural antimicrobials in their sputum. Try that sometime, Dr. Jarosick, my friend and reader up in Ohio.
Erik Frank, upon his startling discovery, said, “I didn’t believe this at all because it was counterintuitive. I repeated the experiment four times before I accepted it.”
I urge you to see for yourself what nature has hidden from us until recently. There are several platforms on which to see videos of surgical ants in action, including The New York Times’ piece at: https:www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/science/ants-amputation-legs.html.
Segment Two: Don’t be afraid of the Jack-O-Lantern, just don’t eat it
Being in the woods daily is a big part of my lifestyle. As such, I see and make note of the lifeforms as they appear and disappear throughout the year. Today, for example, I saw young frogs leaving a vernal pool for a terrestrial life. In the northern part of my forest, I found ginseng growing along the old Spruce Run rail grade.
Being an avid mushroomer, I keep my eye out for the various species of mushrooms: today my list includes many russulas, blushers (Amanita rubescens), and a dead decaying log lined with oyster mushrooms. These and many other species started appearing about a month ago and will disappear before fall.
There are essentially three seasons for edible mushrooms here in this part of the Appalachians: the wildly popular morel, which makes its ephemeral appearance in the spring, generally in April and May. You may also find the popular chicken-of-the-woods at this time.
In early July, we can expect to find many edible mushrooms, including, but not limited to, boletes, certain edible russulas, brad-leys, and the Chanterelle, listed in most mushroom guides as “edible and choice.”
Also in the forest at this time of year is the mushroom Omphalotus illudens, or as it is commonly known, the Jack-O-Lantern mushroom. Illudens is Latin for mocking or deceiving, and it does that very well.
Edible mushrooms such as chanterelles often have “look-alikes” which should be avoided because they are poisonous. The Jack-O-Lantern, for all its beauty, does resemble the Chanterelle. Unfortunately, people occasionally make the mistake of eating them, believing they are “chantys,” and end up in the hospital having their stomachs pumped.”
It is the general shape and color of the two species that fool people, but there are several obvious differences. The Jack-O-Lanterns (JOLs) have true gills, whereas the chantys have folds rather than gills. The JOLs are always found on dead and decaying wood, such as logs, or at the foot of dead trees; they are saprobic, meaning that they get their nutrition from dead or decaying organic matter.
The color of the two species is somewhat different. William Roody, author of the indispensable shroomer’s guide, “Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians,” describes the JOLs as orange, while chantys are egg yolk yellow. Also different is that JOLs always grow in clumps, sometimes quite large ones. Chanterelles are more solitary.
Most of the aforementioned mushrooms are gone by the end of summer, at which time you can find edibles such as Agaricus campestris, or Meadow Mushroom. This species is related to the commercially raised button mushrooms found in nearly every grocery store in the U.S. Also available well into October is the Lion’s Mane, which has been demonstrated in controlled experiments to reduce the chances of getting dementia.
Also found in open meadows and golf courses in the early fall is the common puffball. When eaten when the interior is still white, it is a real treat. A friend once made an Italian-style dish substituting half-inch slices of puffball for eggplant – an elegant and superb Puffball Parmesan, to be eaten with a fine Chianti only.
“Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” Rachel Carson
Ken Springer
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