Not-always-easy coexistence

     Yesterday I wrote about how glad I am to see people and other life forms coexisting even in what for me is a big city, and that is basically true, but Merida being in the tropics, we are doing battle with the ants. I have no problem with ants, generally, but prefer that they stay out of any kitchen in which I spend time. To that end, we came down with ziplock plastic food storage bags (even though plastic is a problem) and bought extra resealable storage containers as soon as we got here. Anything that vaguely resembles food goes immediately into a storage container or the refrigerator. And still they come. 

     It turns out that a tree present in neighbors' back yards is a preferred ant habitat. Cecropia obtusifolia, known here as guarumo, is an impressive thing, reaching a height of fifty feet or more and possessing clusters of spreading, palmate leaves that rustle nicely in the wind. (I am enjoying the sound right now.) It has interesting, if not particularly showy, male and female flowers borne on the same branch.

Photo courtesy of the Field Museum

     And, here at least, it attracts birds, especially grackles and woodpeckers, though other species show up. This morning I spent some time watching three different grackles and a Yucatan woodpecker assiduously scarfing down something found on the bark and leaves of the Cecropia next door. The woodpecker was close enough that, with the decent binoculars I finally bought for myself, I could actually see its tongue. (And if you have never looked up information on woodpecker tongues, you should.)

    It turns out that what all these birds are consuming is multitudes of ants, several species of which use this tree as habitat. The long leaf stems are hollow and provide colony sites for certain ants in the genus Azteca, while the leaves and bark crevices provide shelter. Since Yucatan is about to move into its dry season, leaves are drying out and falling onto the patio of our rental house, bringing with them lots of ants. While these are not the ants generally found in kitchens, I can imagine these insect householders being confused and wandering when suddenly displaced.

     Fortunately, there are relatively simple ways to discourage most varieties of ants from sharing our spaces too closely, so for now, we can coexist and enjoy all the other creatures attracted by this one-tree habitat.