Something that has interested me for some time are the mound building ants on my land. This year we had alot of snow but as soon as the snow melts away on top of these mounds all it takes is a sunny day or two and the Western Thatching ants begin to slowly move about. This year it was early March when I saw the first mounds cleared of snow. I believe the heat from the composting twigs, needles and vegetation acts like a compost pile of sorts(my theory) and the heat produced helps to melt the snow faster than it would otherwise--(when I stuck my nose next to the mound it reminded me of fermenting silage in the silos of my dads farm) There are over 12,000 species of ants in the world and Formica Obscuripes builds these mounds as high as several feet. The raised mound also serves to catch the suns rays and further heat it up. These ants eat the seeds of the surrounding vegetation and carry bits of vegetation back to build the raised mounds.
