Recently, I learned about a fascinating relationship between the ant and the aphid.
Ants farm aphids like a dairy farmer does a cow - only in place of milk, the ants tap the tiny sap-sucking insects for nectar.
First, they herd the aphids toward the sweetest part of a plant. Then, after the aphids feast on the plant's juices, the ants stroke their backs with their antennae until the aphids excrete a droplet of nutritional honeydew. In return for this shared food, the ants protect the aphids, sometimes even moving them into their nests during rainstorms.
To me, this is such a beautiful illustration of symbiosis, the mutually beneficial relationship between two different organisms. Even more beautiful - an estimated 75 percent of all living things share these types of relationships.
Maybe I am so intrigued by this phenomenon because all my life, I have been stubbornly independent. But as I have become more engaged in the outdoors, I've had to learn not just to ask for help, but to be a better partner, too.
Adventure, like nature, benefits from partnerships: the climber and the belayer; the paddler and the safety boater; the professional triathlete and the person who provides a free place to sleep.
The week, our feature story spotlights the Chattanooga Ironman Homestay program, which pairs volunteer hosts with visiting athletes - another beautiful illustration of how extraordinary things happen with a little cooperation.
Sunny MontgomeryGet Out Digital Editor
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