Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search Albuquerque Road Trip July 2016 Part 3     Home       Part 1       Part 2       Part 3       Part 4       Part 5       Part 6       Part 7       Part 8       Part 9   Monsoon Clouds Massive monsoon clouds east of Sandia Mountains in beautiful New Mexico. They bring incredible summer downpours, flash floods and a mass exodus of winged queens from ant nests. Another image from the Arizona/New Mexico road trip: An impending monsoonal rain storm. The sky turned black and there were numerous lightning strikes. A video would have captured this scene better. The only downpour I ever experienced as strong as this was in Golfito, Costa Rica! Winged Queen Ants Emerging From Nest Following Monsoon Rain Pogonomyrmex winged queens (alate females) swarming in a mass exodus from the highest point on a sandstone outcrop. The large ants were landing all around me, including my face and hat! All images on this page copyright © W.P. Armstrong