Thirsty Ant

I have a bit of a thing for ants. I realise that sounds a little strange, but I do find them fascinating, particularly their complex social structures, their intriguing symbiotic relationship with aphids, their impressive work ethic and their remarkable physical strength.

I therefore look for opportunities to photograph ants whenever possible. Recently I noticed that there were lots of small Black Ants (Lasius niger, approx 5mm in length) climbing a very tall foxglove plant in my garden. I'm not quite sure what they were doing, but I presume they were feeding on sugary secretions from the leaves and stem. Some were wandering around the foxglove flowers themselves so I tried to photograph them on a flower with pink petals in the background. I was in luck when this one stopped to drink.

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Taken with a Canon 60D with MP-E 65mm macro lens

and here's another shot taken at higher magnification:

Of all the images that I have taken this summer, I think the first one above is probably my favourite. I doubt many would share this view, I know others tend to prefer prettier images of butterflies or dragonflies, but it's so hard to get all the elements to come together when the subject is as small as this. Plus I have a bit of a thing for ants, as I may have mentioned. :)