Ants of The Huntington Gardens
I went to The Huntington Botanical Gardens over the weekend. One of my favorite places to enjoy the tranquility of the gardens is on a bench under a large oak tree facing the Huntington’s house. It’s usually my first and last stop on a walk around the large property.
The bench wouldn’t wouldn’t offer any peace and tranquility on this trip, however. A few feet behind the bench at the base of the giant oak is a nest of velvety tree ants (Liometopum occidentale). Thousands of them were covering the ground and tree, working diligently at their different duties, biting anyone who came near. I was bitten many times during this photo shoot. The bites weren’t painful but killing the ants released a pungent odor so I tried to flick them off my arms and feet when I could.
The entrance to the nest at the base of the tree.
This one was carrying a dead comrade.
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