These marshes are awash with invisible chemistry

Claxton, Norfolk Ants allow us to reflect upon a chemical realm we can seldom know empirically. They are governed by itIf I set aside the rag-winged rooks and moulting lapwings, and forget the storms that this land has just endured, the morning seems utterly still. I stand to watch a long flotilla of cumulus over the marsh, as beautiful and unmoving as sail ships becalmed in doldrums. There is so little breeze that neither foreground nettle nor the red-tinged Yorkshire fog beyond so much as stirs.Even with my coarse senses, however, I know that this rain-washed stillness is volatile and densely scented. There is a deer nudging through the reeds that I shall never see, because it navigates by smell. Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Wildlife Birds Insects Biology Science Environment Weather Norfolk UK news Source Type: news