My scientific name is Cordyceps militaris. Can you guess what I am? An insect maybe? How about a mushroom? Don’t worry if you’re unsure—those who know me are few and far between! Here, I’ll tell you—I’m a forest mushroom. Since we fungi can’t produce nutrition for ourselves, we have to get it from somewhere else. Any idea where that might be? Open the door below to find out!
If you look around you should spot some insects pretending to be plants. Unless you know what to look for, it’s easy to be fooled. Now that you do, see if you can spot them in the wild!
1. Cicada-hunting Yellow Hornets
Did you notice the buzzing of the Lyristes bihamatus cicada that stopped just now? Mid-song, it got caught by a yellow hornet. Yellow hornets are fond of cicadas. Quite delicious! This lucky hornet will chew up the cicada and carry the meat back to its nest nearby.
2. Yellow Hornet-hunting Honey Buzzards
When an oriental honey buzzard (hachikuma) spies a yellow hornets’ nest, it flies to a nearby branch to survey the scene, and then attacks in one fell swoop.
The yellow hornets respond by mounting a defense en masse in an attempt to fight off the bird of prey, but the honey buzzard is determined to win the battle!
The honey buzzard’s wings are covered with hard, scaly feathers, and the yellow hornet attack is futile. Grabbing the combs containing the hornet larvae and pupae, the honey buzzard returns to its nest where the lucky chicks—who count bee larvae and pupae among their favorite foods—are waiting.
Thank you, cicada! Thank you, hornet! We honey buzzards owe you our lives!
