Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search  INDICES:   Trivia Notes   Alien Species   Humorous   Remember When   All Facebook Notes   Wayne's Trivia Notes #39   © W.P. Armstrong    All Facebook Notes & Images    Published Occasionally On Facebook Go To Latest Trivia Note On This Page Wayne's Trivia Note #849 (17 March 2023) My hand-coded html color chart for my general biology classes: An oversimplified comparison of trichromatic color vision in humans with red, green and blue pixels to generate a full spectrum of color in evolution of computer monitors. People with red-green color blindness might have difficulties distinguishing some of these shades of color, especially today (St. Patrick's Day 17 March 2023)! Students loved the labs when I tested my dear, colorblind colleague Robert Ebert for color recognition. Wayne's Trivia Note #850 (25 March 2023) I recently volunteered for a neurological test that included the assembly of blocks to match a photo. This inspired me to find one of my favorite puzzles called "Instant Insanity." See my updated probability for this puzzle: Instant Insanity On Wayne'svWord Wayne's Trivia Note #851 (26 March 2023) An unusual flower appeared in my backyard after the heavy rains. In the Jepson Manual of California Plants it is listed as a "waif": An introduced plant that comes up wild without human intervention, but is not truly naturalized (i.e. not able to reproduce by seed or spread vegetatively). It was probably introduced by previous owners. Wayne's Trivia Note #852 (5 April 2023) Hitchhiking Plants Disclaimer: Ranking & SRDUs are purely hypothetical without any quantitative data or peer review to support them. With all the rainfall this winter & profusion of weeds, I decided to update my hitchhiker images, some of which are naturalized plants on my Sock Removal Difficulty List.   Wayne's Word Hitchhiking Plants Page   Wayne's Trivia Note #853 (17 April 2023) Last weekend, while playing the dice game of chance called "Left-Center-Right" with quarters, we discovered 2 unusual quarters with a bat instead of an eagle. Apparently, some of these have monetary value based on where they were minted, condition, strike imperfections and rarity. Wayne's Trivia Note #854 (26 April 2023) California poppies in full bloom at Wayne's Word in April 2023. By the way, Google comments on Network Solutions that Wayne's Word pages are "Not Mobile Friendly" are misleading. See disclaimer on my home page:   Disclaimer On Wayne's Word Home Page   Wayne's Trivia Note #855 (8 May 2023) To my surprise, I just discovered this unknown pupa from my composter that hatched out in my office after I had completely forgotten about it. The adult resembles a wasp, but is a harmless fly. The larvae (grubs) are important organic waste recyclers & are raised for animal food. In fact, they can be purchased on Amazon! The name "soldier" may refer to stripes on some species reminiscent of military uniforms. According to Insects of the Los Angeles Basin by Charles Hogue, "In spite of its waspish look and aggressiveness, the fly neither bites nor stings people." Wayne's Trivia Note #856 (10 May 2023) More About Soldier Flies: Did you know that the longest validly published animal name is a species of soldier fly in Thailand: Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides. There are some longer names in the literature but they weren't published according to the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. BTW, I just purchased live black soldier fly larvae from Amazon for my composter. I hope they are happy in their new home. Wayne's Trivia Note #857 (11 May 2023) I am very fond of the ant genus Pseudomyrmex. In fact, I have photographed 3 species of this fascinating arboreal ant: Owens Peak near Palomar College, Jekyll Island, Georgia, and the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica. The Costa Rican species lives inside Acacia thorns & protects the host tree by stinging anyone who touches branches. It even clears invasive trees & vines around base of Acacia that might shade it out. Wayne's Trivia Note #858 (23 May 2023) Argentine ants have attacked & killed all the fascinating ant colonies at my yard in Twin Oaks Valley; however, this native ant called "winter ant" (Prenolepis imparis) secretes a potent hydrocarbon mixture that is lethal to Argentine ants! It looks practically identical to a sister species in Europe that resembles an ancestral species that flourished in Baltic amber forests of northern Europe 50 million years ago. Its common name is derived from its common occurence during the cooler winter months.   More Information, Images & Reference   Wayne's Trivia Note #859 (26 May 2023) Deep in their nest in the Arizona desert these well-fed "obese" ants provide liquid nutrition for workers during times of drought & famine through a regurgitation process called trophallaxis. Wayne's Trivia Note #860 (16 June 2023) I thought I was in good hands with Allstate, but my homeowners insurance will not be renewed. This is apparently because of my proximity to chaparral & warming climatic trend.   See Wayne's Word Fire Page   Wayne's Trivia Note #861 (18 June 2023) The coastal sage scrub surrounding Palomar College is a remarkable plant community with many interesting & colorful plant & animal residents. Unfortunately it is seriously threatened by urbanization.   See Colorful Pink Bioluminescent Glowworm In Coastal Sage Scrub   Wayne's Trivia Note #862 (19 June 2023) Father's Day gift 2023: A driver ant queen (Dorylus) from Deyrolle Natural History Store in Paris, France. It certainly resembles a large wasp. In fact, ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors during the early Cretaceous period (130 million years ago) and diversified with the rise of flowering plants.   See driver ant soldier (called siafu) on Antweb.com    Wayne's Trivia Note #863 (22 June 2023) This very unusual, minute wasp catches tiny leaf hoppers (family Cicadellidae) to feed its larvae. See following link to see camouflage in leafhoppers. How many leafhoppers can you spot in this image? Click on the photograph to see the exact number. Wayne's Trivia Note #864 (1 July 2023) 2 minute insect species discovered at Wayne's Word. Insects are like creatures from another planet! They have evolved so many fascinating adaptations to survive in nature's complex web of life. All text material & images on these pages copyright © W.P. Armstrong