![Wood ant nest](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Wood ant nest
Wood ant nest. This nest belongs to the Southern red wood ant, Formica rufa. Wood ant nests do differ between species, although it can be hard to tell them apart.
![Nest and budded smaller nest of wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Nest and budded smaller nest of wood ant
Nest and budded smaller nest of wood ant. This budding often happens with wood ant species.
![Social parasitism Queen and worker ants](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Social parasitism Queen and worker ants
Social parasitism in ants. The queen of the Slave maker ant, Formica sanguinea, being tended to by workers of Dusky ant Formica fusca.
![Worker ant Formica aquilonia Scottish wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Worker ant Formica aquilonia Scottish wood ant
Worker ant F. aquilonia Scottish wood ant, in profile. Workers are all haplodiploid, sharing much of their genetic material with their mother, the queen. This supports their eusocial colonies.
![Male wood ant Formica lugubis Hairy wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Male wood ant Formica lugubis Hairy wood ant
Male wood ant F. lugubris Hairy wood ant. These males have dark bodies and yellow legs and genitals. Like the females, they have wings. Unlike the females, shortly after mating during the nuptial flight, they will die.
![Queen ant Formica aquilonia Scottish wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Queen ant Formica aquilonia Scottish wood ant
Queen ant F. aquilonia Scottish wood ant with wings. Newly emerged queens have wings, and following their mating and nuptial flight, they bite these off. This enables them to burrow underground and set up a new ant nest and colony, and to begin laying eggs and raising young.
![Pupae and cocoon of wood ant and unsheathed pupae](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Pupae and cocoon of wood ant and unsheathed pupae
Pupae of a wood ant, both within its cocoon, and extracted. Detail from a life cycle ant illustration by Lizzie Harper natural history and sciart illustrator
![Larvae of wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Larvae of wood ant
Larvae of wood ant showing their translucent bodies and segmentation.
![Eggs of wood ant](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Eggs of wood ant
Illustration of several eggs of a wood ant.
![Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni
Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni with wings spread
![Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album
Comma butterfly Polygonia c-album from above and from side cut to white
![Butterfly bouquet](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Butterfly bouquet
Butterfly bouquest invented mix of flowers and butterfly cut to white
![Brown hairstreak Thecla betulae](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Brown hairstreak Thecla betulae
Brown hairstreak Thecla betulae with wings folded, female flying behind, adult in foreground resting on a leaf
![Deaths head hawkmoth Acherontia atropos](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Deaths head hawkmoth Acherontia atropos
Deaths head hawkmoth Acherontia atropos cut to white showing skull pattern on thorax
![Forester moth Adscita statices](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Forester moth Adscita statices
Forester moth Adscita statices with folded wings on a scabious flower, showin1g black colour and glittery irridescence of the wings
![Red necked footman Atolmis rubricollis](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Red necked footman Atolmis rubricollis
Red necked footman Atolmis rubricollis on cuckoo flower Cardamine with black wings folded and scarlet red collar on view
![Heath fritillary butterfly Melitaea athalia](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Heath fritillary butterfly Melitaea athalia
Heath fritillary butterfly Melitaea athalia on cowwheat with speedwell, one in flight and one showing folded underwings
![Silver washed fritillary butterfly Argynnis paphia](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Silver washed fritillary butterfly Argynnis paphia
Silver washed fritillary butterfly Argynnis paphia cut to white one with folded wings one in flight, feeding on scabious flowers
![Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae 2](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae 2
Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae cut to white
![Small Chocolate tip moth Clostera pigra](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small Chocolate tip moth Clostera pigra
Small Chocolate tip moth Clostera pigra holding its wings unconventionally held against a leaf background
![Small Copper Lycanae phlaeas Butterfly](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small Copper Lycanae phlaeas Butterfly
Small Copper Lycanae phlaeas Butterfly cut to white
![Small Heath Butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small Heath Butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus
Small Heath Butterfly Coenonympha pamphilus showing underwings
![Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly Boloria selene](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly Boloria selene
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly Boloria selene
![Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae life cycle](https://lizzieharper.co.uk/wp-content/themes/lizzie/images/px.jpg)
Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae life cycle
Small tortoiseshell butterfly Aglais urticae life cycle illustrated in pen and ink with colour top wash and host plant nettle