White tailed bumblebee Bombus lucorum: Description

White tailed bumblebees appear across all of Britain.  Queens emerge in March and April, with workers appearing about 6 weeks later.  Nests can number 200 worker bees, and are often in abandoned rodent holes.  In fact, Babbity bumble (from Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse) is a White-tailed bumblebee, nesting in an occupied mouse burrow!

Workers have a right yellow band behind the head, and another broad one below the thorax.  They have pure white tails.  Queens are larger versions, while males have yellow faces and broader yellow stripes.

White tailed bumblebee Bombus lucorum

Illustrating the White-tailed bumblebee

The White-tailed bumblebee was one of the first I painted really large, back in 2014.  It was completed for the Yorkshire Dales national Park, appearing on the outside of a visitor centre. I worked really big, which meant the illustration took quite some time.  I wrote a step by step blog on the process, and made a short film:

A few years earlier, I had been commissioned to paint the life cycle of the White-tailed bumblebee, with the bee feeding from Knapweed Centaura nigra and Foxglove Digitaria purpurea.  I enjoyed the contrast between the purples of the flowers and the yellow of the bee’s body.

Detail: Foxglove Digitalis purpurea individual flower with white tailed bumblebee inside

It was hard to find images of what occurred within a bumblebee nest, but (as if often the case) old engravings were an excellent resource.  Seeing the way the body of a larvae develops and changes is really interesting.

Life cycle of the White-tailed bumblebee

More recently, I illustrated this species to show how we can build homes for bumblebees in our gardens by putting very simple structures in place, such as inverted flower pots and pieces of hose.

Diagrams of Bumble bee homes

As with all bee illustrations, working from life is much easier than working from photographs.  It really helps when tackling the transition between yellow and black abdominal hair.  If you’re not careful, black to yellow can easily create a nasty optical mix where the two create a dirty green colour.

Illustrating the White-tailed bumble bee, with specimen.

Diagram of Bumble bee

When I was asked to complete a diagram of a generic bumble bee for David & Charles publishers, it was the White-tailed bumblebee I used.

Schematic bumble bee illustration

The White-tailed bumblebee in my landscape illustrations

The White-tailed bumblebee is a frequent guest in my landscape illustrations, too.  It needs to be simplified, but remain instantly recognisable.

Here’s one that appears on the mug design I did for Hay Festival, back in 2022.

And below is another, this one is in the corner of a landscape focused on water meadows, specifically the water meadow habitat of Woodstock, in Oxfordshire.  The area was designated a Local nature reserve in October 2025.

Detail from Woodstock water meadow landscape

She turns up again, this time on a Hawkbit, in a landscape illustration done of the Gilfach nature reserve in mid Wales.  Even when illustrated small and within a larger context, having specimens to work with is very helpful.

Finally, another one pops up in the centre of a private commission featuring Long tailed tits, wild Cyclamen, and the Poplar hawkmoth.

Illustration of Cyclamen, Long-tailed tits, honeysuckle, Poplar hawkmoth and a White-tailed bumblebee

Garden bumblebee Bombus hortorum

The Garden bumble bee is another species which is widespread across the UK, and pretty common.  It has a longer face (and longer tongue) than the White-tailed bumble bee which allows it to exploit flowers with longer corolla tubes, such as clovers and honeysuckle.

Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

This illustration was completed for a company exploring the idea of making high-end porcelain products.  The bumble bee featured on a saucer, a sprig of honeysuckle on the matching cup.  I’m unsure if this test product ever got further than the sample stage.

Garden bumble bee with specimens

It’s not difficult to collect samples of bumblebees, visit anyone with a conservatory or greenhouse and you’re likely to find lots of dead bees.

Putting up net screens over vents and doors helps prevent the bees getting in, and planting some bee friendly flowers nearby might distract them.  Some advise opening holes in the corners where the bees struggle to escape.  The Bumblebee Conservation trust gives a useful guide on how to rescue a trapped bumble bee.  All the Bumblebee information in this blog comes from their excellent website.

Bilberry Bumblebee Bombus monticola

This is a heathland and upland species, found at higher altitudes and mostly in the north and west of the UK.  The Bilberry bumblebee nests just below the ground, in amongst heather, tussocky grasses, and bilberry.  Nests contain up to 70 workers.  Queens, males, and females all look similar, although the males’ faces are brighter yellow and their hairs are longer.

Bilberry bumblebee Bombus monticola

They have distinct orange-red abdomens and yellow bands at the top and base of their thorax.

Bilberry Bumblebees feed on Bird’s-foot trefoil, clovers, heather and (not surprisingly) bilberry.

This one was illustrated for Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, where it is found on some of their upland nature reserves.  (RWT has produced an excellent guide to the bees and wasps of Radnorshire, well worth a look.)

Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

The Red-tailed bumblebee is another common UK species, found across much of the country, but less in the north of Scotland.

The queens and workers are black with a striking red tip to their abdomens.  The males have golden bands on the thorax, missing in the workers and queen.  Nests contain up to 300 workers.  This species favours knapweed, lavender, and dandelions.

Red-tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

This illustration was commissioned by Powys County Council’s Nature recovery officer, and was used in nature outreach work.

I painted another Red-tailed bumblebee, this time for Roselyn seeds.  It featured on their wildflower seed packet for Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus.  The bee does indeed visit these flowers, and the red tail looks stunning alongside the cornflower blue.

Cornflower Centaurea cyanus with Red tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

The red tailed bumblebee had another outing.  This time it featured in the illustration for a seed packet of mixed wildflowers, produced by the same company.

Red-tailed bumblebee with Corncockle, Poppy, marigold, and mayweed

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

The Buff-tailed bumble bee is one of the earliest to emerge in the spring, with queens seen from February on.  In the south of the UK, Buff-tail bumblebees may not hibernate at all.  They nest in underground burrows, and dis-used rodent nests, in colonies of up to 350.

The queens have the distinctive buff coloured tail.  Workers and males have a thin buff line between the black and the white tail, or none at all.  In fact, it’s virtually impossible to tell White-tail and Buff-tail workers apart by sight alone.

The only illustration I’ve completed of this species is on another seed packet design for Roselyn seeds.  This time, the bee appears alongside an Ox-eye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare.

Buff-tailed bumblebee and Ox-eye daisy

Broken-belted bumblebee Bombus soroeensis

The Broken-belted bumblebee is rarer than many featured in this blog, predominantly in the north of the UK.  It feeds on scabious and blackberry.  Males, females, and queens all have a yellow band at the top of the thorax, one at the top of the abdomen, and (in females and queens) a white-ish tail.  The yellow stripe on the abdomen is often sprinkled with black hairs, making it more of a crescent shape than a rectangular stripe.  The yellow extends up the sides of the thorax, which can make the bees look like they have yellow armpits.

The white tail is tinged with reddish hairs, much more extensively in the males than the females.

Broken-belted bumblebee Bombus soroeensis male

This bumblebee was illustrated in 2025 for the Scandinavian packaging of Flora spreads and products.  I am yet to see it in context.  The bee above is the one they chose to use.  However, I wasn’t entirely satisfied, it had to be a little compromised to fit into a small pre-decided space on the packaging.

I preferred the first Broken-belted bumblebee I completed for them.  Not only can you see the broken belt clearer, but the bee looks less confined.

Broken-belted bumblebee Bombus soroeensis male

As with all the bumblebees I’ve illustrated, the process of getting them to look furry takes time, and an awful lot of tiny brush strokes!

Broken-belted bumblebee male illustration in progress

Brown-banded carder bee Bombus humilus

The final bumble bee I have illustrated is the Brown-banded carder bee.

This is a pretty scarce bumblebee, only found along coastal areas in the south of England and of Wales.  Nests number no more than 100 workers and are found amongst long grass and moss in un-improved rich grasslands.

The thorax is ginger, with paler hairs on the sides.  There are a few black hairs around the bases of the wings.  The abdomen is brown too, although the second segment may be gingery.  There are no black hairs on the abdomen.

Brown-banded carder bee Bombus humilus

This illustration was completed in the last couple of months, for South Devon’s National Landscape.  The bee will be part of a fold-out “Spotter’s guide” to help people recognise invertebrates as they walk along the coastline.  This is part of the “Life on the Edge” initiative, referring both to the habitat and to the rarity of the invertebrates it aims to protect.

Brown-banded carder bees in the landscape

The bee appears again, this time as part of a larger landscape, the background to an interpretation board which is sited near the meadow land South Devon National Landscape manage in Bentham.  As with the other bumblebees cited in context, it is simplified.

Brown-carder bee detail from Bentham Hay meadow board

It has another outing, this time in the base of a large “frame” style illustration.  This allows South Devon Living Landscape to place text in the central area without hiding any of the detail.  It will be used in several sites, with different information on the board.

Brown-banded carder bee with Thrift clear-wing moth.

Below you can see the completed insect border in situ, with relevant information and logos overlaid.  Our Brown-banded carder is toward the left-hand side.

Life on the Edge information board (South Devon National Landscape)

Conclusion

Illustrating bumblebees is always tricky, but always enjoyable.  It’s a matter of building up texture with tiny brush strokes, trying to get the colours close to life, and wanting the bee to appear life-like as well as appealing.

If seeing illustrations of bumblebees is of interest, I urge you to check out the work of other illustrators such as Richard Lewington, Carim Nabahoo, Shevaun Doherty, and Cheryl Hodges  (I’m not certain Cheryl has done bumblebees, but her other bees are well worth a look).  I’m not the only one with a penchant for Bombus! Enormous thanks is due to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust whose excellent website provided the identification pointers for the species.

Illustrating the Garden bumblebee Bombus hortensis

The post Painting Bumblebees appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

To get anywhere with ant identification, you need a basic grasp of ant anatomy, and a good dissecting microscope, as well as an expert on hand to set you straight when you get it wrong.  Luckily for me, I had all three when I attended the FSC Biolinks Ant Identification with microscopes course in May, and a similar course just this week.

The line drawings in this blog were done at the course, using preserved specimens and microscopes.

Ant anatomy: Recap

So the parts of the ant anatomy that really matter when trying to sort out UK ant species are the petioles, how hairy the head and mesothorax is, whether you can see an acidopore or sting, and whether or not there’s a constriction between the segments of the gaster.

Ant anatomy using the Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

British ants

We’re lucky that telling ants apart in the UK is, in anting terms, comparatively simple.  Although there are 21 ant subfamilies globally, we only have 4 to tackle.  If you think that makes it an easy task though, think again!

Ponerinae

The first subfamily is Ponerinae.  These are possibly the easiest to spot.  All Ponerinaes have a constriction between the first and second segment of their gaster.  It looks like they’ve got a rubber band around them.  They are stinging ants, and have one petiole.

This one happens to be a queen, so has wings.

The raised central area is the petiole.  The gastral constriction is really clear, and was equally obvious in all the Ponerinae specimens I got to examine.

One of the largest ants on earth belong to this subfamily, Dinoponera gigantea.  Indian jumping ants, Harpegnathos saltator are also Ponerines.  In some cases, mated workers lay eggs, replacing the queen.  There can also be male as well as female workers.  these can be told apart by counting the antennal segments of the funiculus.

According to Antmaps, there are two native species in the UK, namely Ponera coarctata and Ponera testacea

Dolichoderinae

Dolichoderinae don’t have any constriction of the gaster.  They have one petiole.  Unlike other ants, they have very few (and mostly no) erect hairs on the head or mesoma.

Specific to this subfamily is the presence of a slit-like acidopore.  This replaces the sting, and is used to spray formic acid for defense, from the anal gland.  this can smell quite unpleasant and strong.

It’s often ants in this subfamily who “farm” aphids for their honeydew.

Sketch of a Dolichoderinae, showing hairless head and thorax, one petiole, and acidopore slit.

A few species in this subfamily invade other ant nests, replacing the queen and enslaving the colony.

The most notorious of invasive ants, the Argentine ant Linepithema humile belongs to this  subfamily.  This species is seriously successful, outcompeting native species.  It is not only found in South America, but in 6 continents across Australasia, Europe, North America, Asia and Africa; and in over 150 countries.  It’s possible the places it hasn’t been recorded are due to lack of ant recorders rather than to the Argentine ant not being present there!  All the ants in these colonies are genetically identical.  And this spread only began 100 years ago.  Thanks to (you guessed it) mankind’s endless traversal of the globe.

The two UK species in this subfamily listed by Antmaps are Tapinoma erraticum and Tapinoma subboreale.

Formicinae

You can tell a Formicinae ant with the following list: most have erect hairs on their heads and mesosoma, they have no gastral constrictions, they have one petiole, and a round (not slit shaped) acidopore, and the acidopore is surrounded by a collar of hairs.

This is a successful and diverse group, with over 3,600 species described.

So are the Wood ants, which I illustrated back in 2021.

Illustration of Formica rufibarbis showing the round acidopore, hairs on head and mesosoma, and single petiole

Honeypot ants, Carpenter ants, and Weaver ants are all members of this subfamily.  Honeypot ants Myrmecocystus store sweet food in the swollen abdomens of their workers.  Although many thought this was honey, it’s actually simple sugary nectar and honeydew from aphids.

Carpenter ants Camponotus build their nests underground or in rotting wood and are one of the most numerous of the ant genus.

Weaver ants Oecophylla live mainly in the tropics, and build nests by using the silk produced by their larvae,  these are held in the jaws of the workers and used almost like glue guns, with the silk knitting complicated nests in the trees.  One nest may hold as many as 500, 000 individual ants.  They’re hunters, and take insect prey.

According to Antmaps, there are 24 native species in the UK, including all our wood ants.

Hairy wood ant Formica lugubris alongside specimen

Myrmicinae

Myrmicinae ants are almost as easy to spot as Ponerinaes.  Their distinguishing feature is a two-part petiole.  There’s a petiole…and another one known as the Post petiole. These may be hidden under the Proprodial spine, but once you get your eye in it’s an instant indicator.

These ant species can vary from 1mm to 10mm in length, and highly varied.  They’re probably the most numerous of the subfamilies with over 6,700 species identified.

This illustration shows a close up of the Petiole and post petiole of Myrmica ruginodis

I got to draw two of these in the workshop; Myrmica rubra, M. ruginodis.

Nests of Myrmicinae tend to be comparatively small, with only a few hundred of thousand workers.  As always though, there are exceptions to this.  The Acorn ant Temnothorax nylanderi is a tiny species and an entire colony can exist within one acorn.

According to Antmaps, there are 23 native species in the UK, including my favourite, the Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus.

Myrmicinae Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

Conclusion

Hopefully this dive into the four ant subfamilies in the UK has been interesting.  For more on ants, do check out my blog on illustrating the wood ants of the Cairngorms, and an introduction to ant anatomy.

My obsession with ants is continuing.  I have now learnt how to identify a few down to species level, and have signed up for another ant course (the 4th this year!), this time a three day residential course.  I’m hoping to be able to recognize even more species by the end, and to start feeling confident with ants and keying them out to species level.  None of this would be possible without the knowledge of the tutors I’ve met, and the courses offered by FSC.

I’m far from being an expert, so if you spot a mistake please let me know and Ill do my best to fix it as soon as I can.

The post Ants in the UK: Four subfamilies appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

For more on telling the four British subfamilies of ants apart, please check out my future blog. LINK!!!

Introduction to ants

Ants are social insects in the family Formicidea, relations of the other Hymenoptera (bees and wasps),  Like them, they live in colonies and have castes of female workers, males (produced normally once a year), and a ruling queen.  Worker ants do not have wings, males and queens have four carried in two pairs (although the queens tear theirs off once mated and establishing their nests).  Due to their haplodiploid chromosomes, all the females are very closely related, sharing 75% of genetic material.

All ants have similar body shapes, and a sting (or acidopore) at the tip of their abdomen.  All have jointed antennae.

Typical Wood ant

At any one time, there are 10 quadrillion (that’s a 10 with 15 zeros after it) ants alive on planet earth, and of the 30 thousand or so species, only 16 thousand have thus far been identified.

They’re found everywhere on earth except for the poles, and are vital in ecosystems where they help soil aeration, encourage plant diversity and seed spread, and limit numbers of plant pests.

Like humans, many practice farming, famously tending and protecting aphid “cattle” to ensure their supply of sweet honeydew is safe; or growing and eating moulds produced on chewed up leaves they take into their nests.

Ant anatomy: Overview

I thought ants, like other insects (see my blog) had three body parts; namely a head, thorax, and abdomen.  What I hadn’t realised is that, with ants, this is a little different.

Ant anatomy Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

The Head remains, and there’s more on this and the facial features of ants below.  Worth noting is that ants have jointed, or genticulate antennae, light sensitive eye-spots (ocelli), mandibles (mouth parts) and compound eyes.

The Thorax is called the Mesoma, or Alitrunk.  it contains the muscles for flight, and serves the same function as the thorax.

The next section is called the Petiole, and is super important in ant identification.  It’s the ant’s “waist”.

Then, doing just what the abdomen does, you have the Gaster.  The tip of the gaster is where you find the sting, or perhaps an acidopore, which can squirt out acidic irritant.

Ant anatomy: The Head

The ant has large compound eyes, and three light sensitive ocelli which sit on top of its head.  Antennae are used to smell, and to groom and interact with other ants.  These have a long first segment called a Scape, and the rest of the antennae is called the Funiculus.  All ant antennae are jointed, or genticulate (meaning “kneed”).  The number of segments this funiculus is composed of is vital when you’re identifying ants to species level.  And is extremely tricky to count!

You need to be aware of whether or not the ant has hairs on its head, and if so where they spread to.  Again, it’s important for species recognition as one subfamily very rarely have any facial hair at all (the Dolichoderinae).

Other important anatomical details mean you need to take a close look at the ant’s face.  I doubt I need to point out that identifying ants to subfamily or species level requires a decent microscope!

Ant head, face on.

Ants have a top lip. above the mandible, knows as the Clypeus. The shape of this lip matters.  Is it curved?  Notched?

There’s an area between the antennae which has other diagnostic characteristics.  The central line can be seen and is known as the Frontal ridge, either side is the Frontal lobe.  The Frontal triangle sits below this.

Ant anatomy: The Mesonoma

The ant thorax has a front part, the Pronotum.  The middle is the Mesonotum, and the back part is the Propodeum.  This part is analogous to the first segment of the abdomen, but is stuck onto the thoracic region.  The Propodeum explains why ants can’t be said to have thorax and abdomens.

Sometimes there’s a prominent spine or pair of spines at the back of this, the Propodeal spines.

Ant Anatomy: The Petiole

The petiole, or the waist, is vital when it comes to identifying ants.  Petioles often (but not always) have prominent points or bumps.  One subfamily always has two petioles, the Myrmicinae.  They’re called the Petiole and post-petiole.

Some species, such as the Shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus, also have a ventral spike, pointing down from their undersides.

The illustration below shows a “typical” side view of the petiole, from a member of the Formicinae subfamily.

Thorax and hairs detail of Scottish wood ant Formica aquilonia

Ant Anatomy: The Gaster

Generally, the Gaster consists of 5 segments.  Some subfamilies of ants have a petiole and a post-petiole, so a two-petioled waist (the Myrmicinae).  In this subfamily, there are only 4 gaster segments as the post-petiole has been “taken” from the abdomen.

Some ant species, such as the Saharan ants Cataglyphis bicolor have square petioles.  This allows them to hold their gasters up erect, which lets them move much faster than other ants.

Many ants have smooth gasters, but one subfamily always show a distinct constriction between the first and second segment.  These are the Dolichoderinae.

At the end of the gaster ants mostly have a sting, or an Acidopore.  Males and Queens don’t have stings, as they need this part of their anatomy for reproduction.  Interestingly, queen ants do still have poison sacs, although no sting to deliver poison through.

The Acidopore is found in most members of the subfamily Forminaceae, serving a similar purpose to the sting. It delivers formic acid for protection, and this also works as a disinfectant when grooming.

Southern Red wood ant Formica rufa

Seen from above, you may not be able to count all 5 gaster segments as they can curve below the ant.  It’s important to examine your ant from the side, as well as from above.  (Side views make petiole examination easier, too.)

Conclusion

There’s a lot of new terminology to take on board when you start looking at ants.  But if you take it slowly and methodically, it’s not overwhelming.  And if, as I do, you want to be able to identify ants to subfamily or species level, then this anatomical crash course is vital!

I’m no ant expert, so please do let me know if there are errors in this blog.  And I’d like to thank the FSC and Mike and Gino for opening my eyes to the glories of these amazing insects.

The post Ant anatomy for Beginners appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

The Commission

The Cairngorms National Park approached me, wanting illustrations for a guide to Wood ants.  I’ve only painted a couple of ants before, and never in any enormous detail.  Truth be told, I’ve not even painted that many hymenoptera…up til now!  This would involve detailed and accurate illustrations of six ant species.  It also needed illustrations of the life cycle of the wood ant.  Close-ups of species specific details were also needed.  these would help people tell the species apart by checking out their heads, hairiness, or “lip”.

Yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus.  NOT a wood ant, but the only other ant I’d painted before this job.

The deadline was flexible (thank goodness) and Hayley, the Conservation officer who oversaw the project, was brilliant to work with.

We decided exactly what images were needed, and then she gathered reference for me

How to get reference to illustrate ants?

Getting reference was tricky.  It was winter, so the ants were all inactive and their nests were, in many cases, not obvious.  However, Hayley got me photos of the ant hills.  These vary from species to species, and can be indicators to help tell the ants apart.

She also pointed me to an amazing resource for all things ant, Ant web.  Ant web has very detailed photos for every species on ant you can imagine.  Photos are taken from above, face on, and from the side.  You can imagine how helpful this resource was.  However, you can’t just steal other people’s imagery.  We needed more reference to ensure I didn’t infringe anybody’s copyright.

Amazingly, Hayley got me specimens of every species that I needed to draw.  Not only that, but she got me pinned specimens and loose specimens, in tiny test tubes.  She even got me queens of several species.  This was amazing, I had my actual subjects to work from.  the only problem was the largest was a maximum of 9mm long.  And the smallest is about 3mm.

I’m lucky enough to count Mixie, or Antonia Fraser as a friend.  She’s an excellent wildlife photographer who lives nearby.  I hired her to take close up photos of my gorgeous ants.  It was clearly technically extremely challenging, but she took all the photos I needed.  All were useful, many were beautiful.

Mixie’s photo of the Queen Scottish Wood ant Formica aquilonia

Illustrating wood ants

Armed with my ants, written descriptions, very helpful notes from Hayley, and my photos; I began.  As always, you start by doing a rough.  this is an accurate pencil drawing, which the client can check for accuracy before you move onto adding colour.

Narrow headed ant Formica exsecta pencil rough

In this case, as colour is so critical, I also did some colour tests.  These were print outs of the pencil roughs, which I then coloured and sent off to Hayley.  The colour can change in pinned and dead specimens, so I knew this was an important step.

Colour roughs of the ant species, with my written notes

Feedback was excellent and extensive.  Several experts were on board, so there were plenty of alterations needed.  I never mind this at all.  It’s incredibly easy to make changes to a pencil rough, but can be almost impossible to tweak a completed watercolour.

Once all the roughs were approved, I could move onto the final illustrations.

Illustrating  wood ants

I will not lie.  As I put paint to the first of the ants I was very anxious.  Keeping the colours and details accurate was vital.  I worked closely with Mixie’s photos, the feedback, the tiny ants under my dissecting microscope.  But somehow once I’d begun it wasn’t that bad.  I had to concentrate and had to remember the anatomy of the ants.  Their comparative shiny-ness was a consideration.  The trickiest part was the head.  Untangling shadows from lips and mandibles was tough.  But we got there.

Southern Red wood ant Formica rufa with colour tests, paintbox and brush

Once I’d done one, the rest were easier.  I’d start with the head, the most challenging part.  Then the thorax.  Next the abdomen.  Finally, the easy bit: the legs.

I warmed to my work, learning to love these incredible creatures more and more as I painted their portraits.

One of the illustrations needed was a generic “ant”, in side view.  I chose to base this on the Scottish wood ant, Formica aquilonia. She’s turned out to be one of my favourite illustrations from the commission.

Generic ant, with my lovely UK Wood ant reference collection below.

I painted onto Fluid 100 hotpress watercolour paper.  Winsor and Newton watercolour paints make up most of my paint box.  My paintbrush was a Winsor and Newton series 7 brush, sizes 1 and a tiny 000 for the hairs.  And don’t forget, the presence or absence of hairs is extremely important!

My favourite ant

I know you’re not meant to have favourites, but I do.  The Shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus is a tiny insect.  She’s only 2 or 3 mm long, but oh, does she pack a punch!  These ants look like they’ve been dipped in resin.  They are startlingly shiny.  They look like jewels, or highly polished wood.  With the two contrasting colours of her abdomen and thorax, I was utterly smitten,

Shining Guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus

She was also hard to illustrate.  Getting the shine to be as violent and bright as it is in nature proved almost impossible.  But I was pleased with the finished illustration.

Another favourite was the Blood or Slave-making wood ant Formica sanguinea.  Not only does this species look pretty cool, being quite a bright red, but they also have a wonderfully sinister side.  They enslave other ant species, kill the resident queen, and have their young reared in these cuckoo-style nests.

Slave making or Blood red wood ant Formica sanguinea

Wood ants species details

Initially, we thought the side views should be done in pen and ink.  However, it was decided colour would work better.  The most important aspect of these illustrations was the hairiness.  Hairs had to be in the right place.  They had to be the correct length.  And on areas where they did not grow, I had to ensure the ant was suitably bereft.

Thorax and hairs detail of Southern red wood ant Formica fusca

The trickiest part of this was getting the angle of the ant right.  She had to be entirely side on.  Figuring out exactly what was going on at the end of the thorax and around the gaster was a real challenge.  Hairs on the ant body were added with white or pale yellow gouache.

Pen line drawings of the ants’ faces was a challenge too.  In this case, it was the shape of the lip that mattered.  And although I could sometimes see this on the photos from Mixie and Ant web, I needed Hayley to elucidate.

Face of the Blood red ant F. sanguinea showing a distinct notch in the upper lip or clypeus

Each ant ends up having an identification page to itself.  This unites the pen drawing, side view, and ant portrait.  it also is crammed with written detail.

Blood-red ant F. sanguinea from the Wood Ants guide

Wood ants life cycle

The life cycle was really fun.  I learned a lot from it, including that the male genitals of one species were bright yellow.  Snazzy.

Mating and nuptial flight Formica rufa Southern Red wood ant queen and male

Building the illustrations of ants interacting was hard.  It involved figuring out what they looked like as they fed one another, mated, or tended their queen.  Using this, I needed to combine species specific “actors” to fill these roles.  And then to tweak their legs and bodies and antennae to make it look natural.

Social parasitism Queen of Slave maker Formica sanguinea and workers of Dusky ant Formica fusca

One of the most time consuming parts of the life cycle was the ant hills!  Small and textured, capturing that straw and wood chip effect took a lot longer than I’d expected.  And then you needed to add anchoring grass around it.  And a budded, smaller ant nest nearby.

Ant nest with smaller “budded” ant nest

Seeing how well all the illustrations of the life cycle worked together was such a treat.  The designers on this project have certainly worked magic.  They’ve clarified some pretty complicated imagery, and made it feel interesting and accessible.

Wood ant life cycle from the guide.

Cover of the guide

Hayley and I struggled with how to approach the cover of the wood ants guide.  We wanted some landscape, but also a close up of the ants.  What should the ants be doing?  How should we unite the ants with the distant misty view of the Cairngorms national park?  We sent a great many sketches and roughs to and fro before settling on a final approach.  Using the motif of a magnifying glass was key.

Hayley’s initial sketch of the cover concept

My early rough for the cover

The cover

We managed to get the detail we wanted with the magnified wood ants.  They are practising trophallaxis, where social insects feed one another.  We had some detail of the ant nest.  Another ant nest a little further away was included, showing how they look in the landscape.  The iconic Scot’s pine trees got to appear.  And we also got to feature the heathery and distinctive landscape of the Cairngorms.

I struggled with the criss-crossing of antennae and legs.  Once I’d untangled them, it was important to try and make it clear which ant possessed with legs.  I think this comes across ok.

Another challenge was the texture of the ant hill.  Having practised this on the life cycle, it was a little swifter.  But I spent a many hours painting sticks and straw, and wishing fervently that I could move onto the ants.  Another challenge was representing the metal and the edge of the magnifier.  Painting circles free-hand is something I’ve never excelled at, so it was a challenge.  but I think we got away with it.  I enjoyed doing the metal.  Sometimes illustrating a subject you rarely draw is fun, as it proved in this case.

Yet again, the designers have done a lovely job with the cover.  They flipped the background, whilst keeping the ants in the same position.  It alters and improves the composition of the illustration.  I feel the cover draws people in, and although it’s a pretty technical subject, it makes the guide feel accessible to all.  This is clever work on the part of the designers.

Cover of the Guide to the Wood Ants of the UK and related species

Conclusion

This was a really technically challenging project.  I was over the moon that I was able to do it, and that the client and I are both pleased with the end result.  Working to the edge of one’s ability is stimulating; you have to learn and you feel alive.  I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, and am really proud to be associated with such an excellent project.

Double page spread from the guide: Southern Red Wood ant Formica rufa and Blood-red ant Formica snaguinea

To download a free PDF of the Wood ants guide, please visit: https://lnkd.in/d_qUdgU

The guide’s production was made possible with funding from Clif Bar & Company through their ‘National Parks Protectors’ initiative.

Hairy wood ant Formica lugubris illustration, alongside specimen

Below is a short piece of film showing me illustrating the Narrow headed wood ant, F. exsecta.

The post Wood Ants: Illustrating a guide to the wood ants of the Cairngorms appeared first on Lizzie Harper.

The result is the re-establishment of a breeding population of Chequered skippers in Rockingham forest, Nottinghamshire.  And, as a part of the publicity surrounding this conservation success story, Back from the Brink (Roots of Rockinghan) asked me to run an online illustrations workshop, painting this iconic butterfly.

This blog explains the steps involved in illustrating a Chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon. Be aware that sticking to all these steps will take a long time.  If you want a swifter result, you could go through to step 7, and then just add darker areas of colour without using the tiny brush strokes technique.

This approach is how I illustrate all the butterflies I get asked to draw.  To see more examples of my butterflies, take a look at my butterfly galleries.  There are also some step by step guides to illustrating other species of butterfly in amongst my blogs.

Here are the resources which were provided to people attending the online workshop (back in 2020).  Feel free to download and use them free of charge, but consider donating to help Butterfly Conservation if you’re able to do so.

Butterfly illustration workshop Chequered skipper Equipment list 2020

Butterfly illustration workshop Chequered skipper 2020

Butterfly Workshop Reference Sheet the Chequered Skipper

Butterfly Workshop Templates Chequered skipper

Butterfly Workshop Step by Step Visual guide Chequered Skipper

Gathering reference

Get your reference together.  A real specimen is always great, but be aware dead and pinned specimens hold their wings differently to living butterflies.  In this case, Butterfly Conservation provided me with a photo.  If you use photos you find online, do contact the photographer and ask for permission to use their images.

Photo from Butterfly conservation, with lower image showing the wings with typical Hesperiidae venation overlaid

It’s advisable to have several photos to refer to, in order to avoid perpetuating mistakes that may occur in one photo, and to give a better “feel” to what the norm for the species is like.

It’s also important to know where the veins are as these help to guide you around your drawing, and add biological accuracy.

Draw up the Butterfly

You can do this two different ways.  First, draw the butterfly by hand, drawing straight to page.  Check your measurements, and that your drawing has the correct proportions.  Do this by checking various measurements against your reference.  I draw with a mechanical Pentel P205 pencil, o.5 H or HB lead.

Second approach is simply to trace the photo and transfer the tracing to hotpress watercolour paper.  You only need to draw or trace one half of a butterfly as they are symmetrical.  Flip the tracing paper to get the other half.  Again, you need the photographer’s permission if you want to use this approach.

If you’re drawing freehand, a good way to draw a perfectly straight line (which you’ll need for antennae and veins) is simply to look at where the line is going, rather than at the tip of your pencil.  This comes in handy when you’re using a paintbrush later on.

Add the markings

If you’ve been sure to include the venation in your drawing, this isn’t too hard, just plot in the blotches of colour, using the veins as a map.  If you’re doing a tracing, you’ll already have this information on your traced drawing.

To avoid confusion, you can use a very light pencil to write the letter “Y” on the yellow spots.

Pencil tracings of the Chequered skipper without markings (top) and with markings (bottom)

Transfer the drawing to Hotpress watercolour paper

Again, there are various ways of doing this.  One is by using “tracedown” or “push-through paper” which has graphite on one side.  Insert this under your tracing and the watercolour paper, then redraw your tracing.

A second way is to draw over the back of your tracing with soft graphite, then re-draw the tracing.

The third and easiest is to make sure your drawn lines are on the side of the sheet touching the watercolour paper (you’ll need to redraw your tracing on the other side of the sheet to achieve this).  Then find a hard, blunt object, stick your tracing down with masking tape, and rub (not too hard).  The graphite will transfer onto the watercolour paper.

Check your drawing with the reference

Does it look symmetrical?  Are the wings lined up correctly?  Is the body the right width?  Fix errors now, you won’t be able to make changes once you begin painting.

Mix up your colours for a colour map / first layer of colour: Browns

The brown of the Chequered skipper is a warm, purplish colour.  Mix Vandyke brown, Cobalt blue, and purple (or similar colours) to achieve this.  Add clean water to make the colour more dilute.

First layer of colours: Browns

I use Winsor and Newton watercolours, a series 7 sable brush (size 1), and paint onto Fluid 100 Hotpress paper (unstretched).

When you’re painting, always try to follow the direction of growth – in this case, echo the direction of wing veins, and growth of the fur on the body.  The harder you press the thicker the line.  Make sure you allow the tip of the brush to follow the brush stroke; don’t push in the opposite direction to the bristles unless you want a thick and uncontrolled line.

Consistency of paint is important.  For paler colours (made pale by diluting with water, not by adding chalky white watercolour paint) it’ll be quite watery.  For darker colours you’re looking for a mix with a consistency a little like single cream, or blood.

Plot in the areas of brown, making the colour more diluted (and thus paler) towards the edges of the wing, and darker (less dilute) at the edges of the veins.  Keep highlights and veins as white paper.  In watercolour, your white paper is your brightest area of colour, so don’t swallow it up.

Don’t forget to plot in the browns of the butterfly body too, adding texture by doing longer brush strokes to emulate the hairs.

Once bone dry, and being aware of the veins, you can now rub out pencil lines showing the markings before adding the yellow.  Rubbing out over the brown paint will not lift the pigment but will remove the pencil.

Mix up your colours for a colour map/ first layer of colour: Yellows

The yellow is a mix of Naples yellow, Gamboge hue, and Cadmium orange.  Any mix of Naples yellow plus a lemon-y yellow and a touch of orange should work fine.

Apply this semi-watery mix to the edges of the yellow spots, and the edges of the wing veins.  With a lightly paler (more dilute) yellow, fill in most of the spots, only leaving white paper for highlights.

Yellows added

Add the yellows to the area of the body that need it; a horseshoe shape at the top of the thorax, the head, tail, and the clubs on the antennae.

Add details and texture: Yellows

Starting with the yellow, add depth, colour, and detail to your illustration by building up lots of tiny brushstrokes.

Mix a slightly darker yellow than before – less dilute with a tiny bit more orange.

The more strokes you make, the darker and more saturated that area will be.  For the yellows, focus on making these marks on the edges of the veins, and on the edges of the yellow spots.

Building depth of colour and texture into the yellows

Add details and texture: Browns

Mix a slightly darker brown by making a less dilute mix, and tweaking the ratio of the purple, brown and blues.

Using tiny strokes, lay down depth and colour, and build tonality and vibrance into your painting.  Focus on the edges of the veins, the wide areas of solid brown, and where the wings attach to the body.

Working into the brown of the lower wings

In the Chequered skipper, all the wing veins are dark brown, so outline these.  Make the edges of them less stark by softening them with the occasional tiny brown spot along their length.

When you come to an area of yellow, use shorter choppy lines to transition between the colours.  Lots of tiny dots will also help, and look a little like butterfly scales.

Close up showing how tiny dots resemble scales and help the eye “transition” between the brown and yellow areas

Don’t forget to work into the butterfly body.  Look at your reference to try and understand the direction of growth of the hairs, and let this inform your brush strokes.

Adding detail: Antennae and eyes

For the antennae and eyes, you need a darker colour, closer to black.  Mix some of your Brown with indigo (or a greenish dark blue) and a touch of purple.  This makes a much prettier black than a pre-mixed colour.

With a steady hand and a light touch, outline the antennae.  Then fill in the black stipes.  Once completely dry, get a very dilute bit of Cobalt blue and carefully put a thin line of this on either side, on the antennae, to provide shadow.

For the eye, using the same mixed black, outline the edge of the eye.  Paint around the highlight, where the light reflects from the compound eye.  One dry, dilute your black to a very pale grey, and add a subtle concentric circle of this around the highlight of the eye.  If you mess up, don’t worry.  You can always pick out the white shine on the eye with a bit of permanent white gouache.

Tweak your Yellows

Towards the body, and on the outside edges of the Chequered skipper’s wings, the yellow is a bit more orange.

Mix up a slightly darker yellow (by adding more orange, or even a touch of your brown).

Working into the yellows

Using the same technique of tiny brush strokes, add this colour to the areas that need it, always referring to your reference.  Don’t forget the butterfly body – there’s plenty of yellow in that horseshoe shape around the top of the thorax, on the head, and on the fluffy “tail” or base of the abdomen.

Tweak your Browns

Mix up a darker and bluer brown, by altering the ratio of the blue/ brown/ purple mix.

Using brush strokes to copy the fur, paint in lots of hairs that cover the butterfly body, always following the direction of growth.  Top with a dilute and watery brown mix, and allow to dry.

Browns are dark, only needing a little more depth

Knock back the veins on the wings

Using a brown, simply paint over the wing veins (which up til now have remained white).

Pick out your darkest darks

Mix a nice dark brown/black with your brown, blue, indigo, and purple.  Using the paint quite thick, and with the same tiny brush strokes, pick out your darkest areas.  At the junction of body and wing, where the top wing slightly overlaps the lower wing, in the middle of the large areas of crown, on the body.

Add hairs to the thorax and abdomen

Mix some Permanent white gouache with your yellow and using very light strokes, add some hairs to the thorax edges.

Do the same, but with a little black in, to add texture to the abdomen.  Don’t overdo it.  Play around til it looks right.

Completed butterfly

And here’s the whole process condensed onto one sheet:

Finished!

Well done! Go and make yourself a well-earned up of tea.

Never feel disappointed with a painting you’ve done.  If it goes well, that’s lovely.  It if doesn’t, have a think about what you can learn from it.  Did you cover up all the whites of the page too fast?  Did you overwork it?  Do you need to practise to get your brush strokes finer?

Also, be aware, using this approach takes a long time.  It took me a good 10 hours to paint this Chequered skipper, and I’ve been doing it for years.  The more you paint, the more confident you’ll become, and the better you’ll get.

Final illustration – computer scan

Conclusion

I hope this blog has proved useful.  It goes without saying that this approach will work for every butterfly or moth you choose to illustrate.

Thanks for sticking with it.  It’s a long process, and anyone who claims painting is relaxing hasn’t been doing this sort of illustration! But the end product can be something to treasure, and a good reminder of the wonderful conservation story of the Chequered skipper.  For more on the conservation project, please check out the post from Back from the Brink

Here is the video that accompanied the online workshop on illustrating this butterfly.

Limited edition giclee A4 format size prints of the butterfly are available for sale at £40 each (including postage & packaging to UK – add an extra £10 to cover p&p for international addresses).  Butterfly Conservation will receive £10 per sale to help them fund future exciting conservation projects.  Please email me on: info@lizzieharper.co.uk if you’re interested.

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I’ve got a whole lot of insect specimens that I’ve gathered over the years, including loads encased in Perspex.  These are brilliant for kids as they can examine them closely, but do no damage.  The children were aged 5 to 6, and keen.

I’m happy for them to use other specimens too – there’s nothing like drawing from life to ignite a child’s imagination and make them work really hard.

I like to encourage them to use graphite and coloured pencil, as lots of the observed details gets lost once you introduce paint or felt tip.

Some children chose to use oil pastels.  I think these worked well.  I do understand that asking someone to illustrate an iridescent green beetle in grey pencil can be frustrating!

Attention to detail

I was really impressed by these children.  Their concentration spans were excellent.   Some of them got thoroughly lost in the details of the insect legs and markings, which was marvellous.

I very much hope that me going in with bugs and drawing materials helps then not only develop a passion for all things entomological, but also a love of drawing from life, and for looking carefully at the amazing natural world around them.

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