Together: Pinus sylvestris and Formica lugubris
by Edward Wilson
Wipfel 06 | Photo-Essay | 08 2019
Here from summer 2019 are a few pictures of a pinewood near Boat of Garten. There is a healthy population of northern hairy wood ants (Formica lugubris). Each ant colony has its own Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris); the ants cultivate and farm a population of aphids and help protect the tree from predators. The relationship is especially common on older, mature pine trees with wide-spreading crowns that reach to the forest canopy. It is a wonderful example of mutualism. Equipment: Nikon F100; Kodak ColorPlus 200 film.
