Leafcutter ants carry leaf pieces underground to feed a fungus garden they farm.

The longer version

Leaf carrying supports a food chain running underground. Workers cut sections from leaves, hold them overhead like sails, and file them into the nest, where other ants chew the material into pulp and smear it onto a cultivated fungus capable of breaking down cellulose.

The colony then eats the fungus rather than the leaves, since plant tissue is hard for animals to digest unaided. Smaller workers ride on the cuttings, apparently shielding the load from parasitic flies. Gardening also demands constant weeding, because unwanted moulds would otherwise overrun the crop, and waste is carried to separate chambers.

Where this entry sits

This collection gathers small wonders from the world of ants, bees, butterflies, beetles, and spiders. Expect surprising details about swarms, silk, and metamorphosis, plus the strange everyday abilities of creatures small enough to fit on a fingertip. The full list sits on the Insects and Spiders page, where every entry is listed in order.