Feature Article
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Camouflage Duck hunting season is here, and with it comes the duck hunter and his camouflage the art of concealing himself, behind his blind, in his camouflaged clothing, in his boat painted with camouflage colours. But have you ever considered how camouflage exists in nature, and how both predator and prey depend upon the art of camouflage?
For prey camouflage is particularly important. Not to be seen may mean not be eaten. For the predator camouflage can be equally important. Not to be seen may mean being able to eat and not go hungry.
From insects to birds to animals, thousands of species have evolved a variety of camouflage over the centuries. Have you ever seen a moth on the bark of a tree? Maybe not, but they are there, with their colours blending so well with the bark that you do not notice them. Colour is a major factor in camouflage, but so is stillness. If the moth had moved, you would notice it even though the colours matched the bark. For a hungry bird, the ability to recognize the moth even though camouflaged would be important.
Spots and stripes of some animals blend with the environment. This type of disruptive colouration usually matches that environment - the stripes of a Zebra blend with the grasses of the plains where they live. Even the spots on eggs of the birds that nest on rocky shores, the Killdeer or Piping Plover, for example, make the eggs almost invisible.
In mimicry certain insects take on a shape which makes them look like something else - a Walking Stick misrepresents itself to look like a twig, and a predator may pass it by. Some species of katydids have evolved to look like leaves. Some moths have developed designs that look like the eyes of a larger animal, and the back of a hawk moth caterpillar looks like a snake head. These misrepresentations are designed to scare off the predator.
Some insects sport bright colours which tells predators they either taste bad or are poisonous, and some other insects mimic this colouration even though they would be a good meal for the predator. The Viceroy butterfly, even though a tasty meal, mimics the colour and pattern of the Monarch butterfly - bad-tasting because it feeds on milkweeds. Both species are usually avoided by birds. Other animals change colours to look like the environment, and then blend in with it.
Predators have also evolved to make themselves less conspicuous as they hunt. The Polar Bear with its slightly off-white coat is a good example. The owls have developed feathers that let them fly silently as they swoop down on their target. The Ermine is able to change its coat to match the seasons - brown in summer and white in winter, and thereby be less conspicuous.
The next time you see an animal, bird or insect, stop and think about what type of camouflage it has and whether it is a predator or prey!
Observations - my last sighting of a hummingbird was Sept 14 - when was yours? Call me at 268-2518. Dianne Johnson down the Guigue Road says she had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird both Sep. 25th and 26th - this is late, the bird must be fooled by the warm weather. Rod Short reports he had an adult Bald Eagle flying over Kennebec Lake, and only about 20 feet over his head - a beautiful bird!
