Formica

Posted on October 28, 2003 in Creatures Hiking

The scarlet toyon or “hollywood” berries had begun to show themselves along the fringes of Sleepy Hollow and I had stopped to look at them when I realized that my ankle stung slightly. I thought back: where had I bushwacked through the chapparal? I could think of no such place, so I ignored the pain as I ascended the hill. I felt a little faint, but that ended when I drank more water and ate trail mix. I forgot about the burning, knowing it only as background pain.

When I stripped to take my shower, I found the corpse of an ant crumpled and clutching to my skin. I removed it and laid it down on the bathroom counter. The body was oxblood and the abdomen black. I took my shower and then consulted my copy of California Insects.

The best fit appears to be a species of “Red Mound Ant” which is common in the chapparal and fits the coloration of the dead body in my bathroom. It’s a mean species when it comes to defending its nests, which consist of piles of leaf litter and twigs — a miniature woodrat’s nest. Somewhere along the trail, perhaps when I stopped in the shade to admire the smoke topaz hue of the lower pond, this lone soldier started its crawl over my shoe and up my leg. It left a faintly blushing area the shape and size of an eye. I took a benadryl and will apply a little baking soda to the spot. For now, the corpse shall remain in the bathroom, where I may go back to study it further.