One of the most spectacular sights in the Forest in Summer is an active ant hill. There can be hundreds of thousands of wood ants scurrying around, all intent on bringing food or adding to the sticks and bracken stalks which cover the nest. The structures can be massive, great sprawling mounds which stand a good metre above the forest floor. This one, on the side of the gravel track we use for our Anderwood walks, was on the small side, but there was still a constant stream of ants over my boots as I tried to get close enough for a picture. What a still picture can't capture is that the whole ground seems to be seething and writhing with ants, a great, if somewhat scary, sight. It was a really warm day at last, and as well as the ants, we saw large red damselflies, and had good views of some of the best summer woodland birds, including Woodlark, Wood Warbler, Redstart and Tree Pipit, all singing
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