I am a hunter — but not the type who shoots to eat; I shoot to admire (and do so with a camera).
However, if you want to understand some aspects of animal behaviour, you might consider hanging out with those who do shoot to eat. They see and track a great deal.
Over a week ago, in the midst of the outrageous hot spell (mid to high 30s), I posted a picture of a Steller’s Jay supposedly complaining about the temperature. Karen Pidcock then asked: “How do you think the wild creatures are holding up in this heat?” I didn’t know.
An internet search revealed that those who shoot to eat believe that deer hide in the shade rather than move about when the temperature is high. Indeed, I saw none during that hot spell. Yet now, with temperatures in the mid 20s, I saw three deer, and a more secretive male was seen twice. So, it seems, the deer are moving again.
A male white-tailed deer looks at me over his shoulder. As his antler development seems a bit late for July, he is probably a (first year) spike deer.
There is an evolutionary process here which gradually increases the length of both the moth’s tongue and the nectar spur. The moths with the longest tongues are favoured as they can reach the bottom of the spur and so receive the most nutrients. The flowers with the longest spurs are favoured as their reproductive organs optimally press against the moth which then increases their reproduction. So, each slowly gets longer and longer.
