The Land of Melting Shadows: Weird Wednesday ~ Plants Call for Help

The Land of Melting Shadows

There once was a land, no further away than your imagination. A Land where the Trees’ whispers can be heard on the wind. And the squirrels chitter and chatter as they scamper to and fro amongst the branches - playing their endless game of tag.

A Land where the Brooks babble endlessly amid fern covered banks. Fish and Tadpoles play a game of Leapfrog in the clear, cool water and Turtles sunbathe nearby.

A Land where the tall Grasses sway in the breeze as if dancing to a distant tune. Wild flowers wave their petals at the busy Bees who fly by; Beckoning to them. Enticing them.

A Land where the Deer graze peacefully in the lush, green valleys. A Land where the Birds and the Faeries gather in the bushes of an evening to share the day's gossip. And the Frog serenade, with Cricket accompaniment, continues well into the night.

A Land where the morning sun melts the night into the shadows of the day. And at sunset the shadows melt into night. But there are times when the shadows melt into things best left to one’s imagination.

A Land of Melting Shadows.

We've all seen a caterpillar munching away on the leaves of a vegetable plant. And maybe some of you have seen a wasp laying eggs on the caterpillar that is munching away on the vegetable plant. But do you know how that wasp found that particular caterpillar?
When a caterpillar starts munching away on a vegetable plant, that plant will emit volatile compounds into the air hoping to attract a wasp (parasitoid) that will lay its eggs in the offensive caterpillar, leading to the demise of the caterpillar.

A study conducted at Wagenigen University in the Netherlands discovered which scents attract these parasitoids.

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The Land of Melting Shadows

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