Hobbies And Interests
Butterflies
Butterflies need plants to meet their reproductive needs. They will only lay their eggs on specific types of plants. Once the eggs hatch and become caterpillars, the plant provides food for their growth and survival. Specific plants act as a larval host for different butterfly species. For instance, the cedar sedge plant hosts the apache skipper butterfly. If it is not present, the apache skipper butterfly can't reproduce.
Millipedes
Depending on the species, millipedes have 47 to 197 pairs of legs. These invertebrates prefer to live in moist habitats. Their ideal setting is in the plants ares where they will use rotting logs and the inside of leaf debris as homes. Most of the millipedes species are herbivores and contribute to the plant ecosystem by eating decaying plants. To ward off enemies such as birds and badgers, millipedes spray a hydrocyanic acid to ward them off.
Ants
Although the majority of ant species live in the soil, most prefer to live on other plant sources. A few includes the inside of plants, acorns, and wood. Ants remain one of the most important plant eaters in the world and outrank grazing mammals. They benefit the plant ecosystem by distributing the seeds that they harvest. Ants also aerate the soil better than earthworms.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers live throughout the U.S. These insects destroy crops located in areas that receive 10 to 30 inches of rain annually. Grasshoppers found in North Carolina rarely threaten crops. They feed on plant stems. As a result, the plant breaks in half, which cause the top part of the grain to fall off. Female grasshoppers deposit their eggs into the soil.