Eusocial is the Meadow Ant
They live beyond the self
The good of all, it must supplant
How one ant treats itself
So far they’ve come, so much they’ve changed
Autonomy so scant
Their everything is re-arranged
The anthill is the ant
I entered the park through the woodlands again today, hoping to check on the shoots that I spied on my last visit. The Snowdrops were still not out but I was pleased to see that growing beside them were a few Jack in the Pulpit, their soft young leaves already forming their distinctive curl.
A Grey Squirrel dived into a Blackthorn thicket as I passed the Learning Centre out into the Meadows. The calls of Chaffinches and the abrupt chirps of House Sparrows filled the air, with the occasional clatter of wings from a Wood Pigeon mixed in as well.
There was little activity out on the Meadows and I found myself again wandering alone with just the chill breeze for company. The dry-stone walls I passed were wound with Wild Clematis and Ivy, the latter bearing purple berries that I’m sure the parks birds are most grateful for. The odd Carrion Crow could be seen on the wing and I also spied the blue and white flash of a Jay by the Dew Pond.
A few Magpie rattles later and I was approaching the Lighthouse, a pair of Rock Pipits diving from the path at the sound of my oncoming footsteps. Down at the bottom of the Gulley I stood for a moment looking at the metropolis of Yellow Meadow Ant hills. Some etymologists have estimated that around 15% of the world’s animal population by weight are Ants. That’s a lot of Ants. A colony network of our resident species can have up to 250,000 individuals. They must have some wild house parties.