Week 20: Wood ants ('Formica rufa' group)

Wood ants were @SpeciesofUK from 21^st to 27^th April, 2013.

What is a wood ant? Well, first, what is an ant? Ants (Formicidae) are social insects that form complex colonies.[1]

There are possibly more than 20,000 species of ants (they're still all being classified) in a multiplicity of subfamilies.[2] It’s thought that ants make up at least 15% of terrestrial animal biomass. They're a rampantly successful group of animals![3]

Wood ants
[Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Walter-Wilhelm]

Wood ants are part of the Formica ant genus, a genus that is also made up of other mound ants, thatching ants and field ants. Wood ants as a general rule live in wooded areas and create impressive thatched mounds.[4]

Week 10: Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)

The Scots pine was @SpeciesofUK from 3^rd to 9^th February 2013.

The UK only has three native conifers - Juniper, Yew and Scots Pine. Of these, Scots Pine is the UK's only native pine.

Scots Pine is native to Northern Europe and Asia. It ranges from Ireland in the west to Siberia in the east and Portugal and the Caucasus in the south. In fact, the Scots Pine is the most widely distributed conifer in the world.[1]

Scots Pine, Glen Affric
[Source: Chris]

In the UK, the Scots Pine’s natural range is restricted to Scotland. It is the dominant tree in the UK’s only truly native pine forest, the Caledonian Forest in Scotland.