Formica Rufa

Whenever you are out in the Swedish forest you are never far from a wood ant (Formica rufa) nest. They all seem to be constructed of pine needles, though I'm sure other materials are involved. This is one of the larger ones.
The nests are placed so as to get plenty of sun and along this track nearly all nests are on the same (sunny) side.
The picture was taken on a morning walk, while the day was still cool. We were out about 3 hours, visiting what used to be the summer pastures for our village. The walk is just over 10 km and circular.
Once we were back home the rest of the day was spent in the garden. Most of our seedlings are planted now and it's beginning to feel as if the mad gardening phase is coming to a close.