ants Archives - Lizzie Harper

Natural History Illustration and Life Long Learning: The Field Studies Council

Posted on 19th October 2022 in Current projects and news, Scientific Illustrator out and about

Natural History Illustration and Life-long learning: Field Studies Council Courses is my blog all about how much I love the FSC courses I attend. And no, they’ve not paid me to wax lyrical, honest! I draw and paint a wide range of different species for publishers, charities, packaging, ad companies, and design agencies. I am […] Read more

Ants in the UK: Four subfamilies

Posted on 26th August 202226th August 2022 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Current projects and news

Having recently written a blog on the anatomy of ants, and been on three marvellous FSC courses about these fabulous insects, I’m going to try and share what I’ve learned about telling the four UK subfamilies of ants apart. To get anywhere with ant identification, you need a basic grasp of ant anatomy, and a […] Read more

Ant anatomy for Beginners

Posted on 13th June 202222nd July 2022 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Current projects and news

I’ve recently gone on a couple of fabulous courses with Field Studies Council (FSC). Two of these focussed on Ants. They were taught by Gino Brignoli, and the second by Mike Fox, both ant experts. These courses are open to anyone with an interest, and are always an excellent way to learn an enormous amount […] Read more

Nature Notebook & The Family Tree

Posted on 21st January 2022 in Uncategorised

Nature notebooks seem to have run in my family for a long time. I recently found one completed by my Great aunt Nina, back in 1919, when she was ten. This got me thinking about all the other artists in my family, and I decided to share some of them, and their artwork. Front cover […] Read more

Wood Ants: Illustrating a guide to the wood ants of the Cairngorms

Posted on 22nd July 202122nd July 2021 in Current projects and news

Earlier this year, I had one of the hardest and most wonderful jobs. I was commissioned to illustrate all the Wood ants species that occur in the UK for an identification guide which has just been published by the Cairngorms National Park Authority . The physical guide is now available (and a classy item t is […] Read more

Illustrating the Amazing Blue Butterfly

Posted on 5th August 20141st December 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

Scientific illustration involves learning about your subjects, as well as illustrating them. I’ve always been amazed by blue butterflies (family Lycaenidae). I love their vivid hues and their fascinating life-cycles. Their interactions with ants amaze me. Blue butterflies Most of the information in this blog comes from the website of Butterfly Conservation. This charity is concerned with recording […] Read more