Belostoma sp. giant water bug.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Belostoma sp. giant water bug.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
On the underside of a sun-soaked leaf, Aphaenogaster tennesseensis tending to Entylia sp. treehoppers.  The treehoppers secrete sweet honeydew for the ants in exchange for protections from parasites and predators.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
On the underside of a sun-soaked leaf, Aphaenogaster tennesseensis tending to Entylia sp. treehoppers.  The treehoppers secrete sweet honeydew for the ants in exchange for protections from parasites and predators.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis tending to Entylia sp. treehoppers.  The treehoppers secrete sweet honeydew for the ants in exchange for protections from parasites and predators.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis tending to Entylia sp. treehoppers.  The spiky-looking bugs are the immature stages of the larger shield-shaped insects.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Paratrechina longicornis - black crazy ant.  Along a sun-soaked beach on a Panamanian island, ants drink from nectaries on the underside of a leaf.  Many plants attract ants with nectaries, and the ants in return help remove the plant's herbivorous pests.

Isla Contadora, Panama
Linepithema humile, the Argentine ant.

Davis, California, USA
Solenopsis xyloni is a fire ant native to southern and western North America.

Solano County, California, USA
Belostoma sp. giant water bug.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Belostoma sp. giant water bug.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
Belostoma sp. giant water bug.

Lake Glendale, Illinois, USA
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013