Ant hunting in the Jura, 2010

Dwight Peck's personal collection of anthill photos

Ant hunting in the Jura

A sport for the whole family. Good exercise. Cute ants.

We haven't tried elk or bear hunting yet, but we sense that ant hunting is more our sort of thing.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

So we're getting summer 2010 off to a formicant good start [note]. We're just wandering about, taking our time, but vigilant for wood ants.

This antlered anthill is at the far end of the long meadow near the Crêt de la Neuve, 12 May 2010. We're supposed to be working today, but halfway into retirement is leaving the other half of discipline hanging for the time being.

Here's a three-story anthill, spilling down from the cliffs that line a little gully in the forest near the Petit Pré de Rolle, near Marchairuz. 15 May 2010.

This is a Bactrian anthill -- two humps. 16 May, near Les Echadex in the Jura.

Near Les Pralets, 29 May 2010

A field near the farm of La Dunanche, above Bassins, where there are more than 60 anthills in a small space. It's 6 June, we're just back from Georgia.

Kristin on the path from Dunanche to Arzier, admiring the cliffs above us

On the ancient track to Arzier and the ruins of the Carthusian monastery of Notre-Dame d'Oujon.

The throne room of the woodland king, 12 June, near Perroude du Vaud

A nice big ant collection, on the way towards Crêt de la Neuve

Crêt de la Neuve, cross on the summit whilst coming up out of the awkward forest on the back side of it. 12 June 2010.

A Cross on the summit! Why isn't there a Crescent, too, and a Star of David, and a Fat Buddha and a photo of L. Ron Hubbard?

Not that this cross is going to be here much longer if someone doesn't start fundraising for a new one. The plaque showing the mountains across the lake (behind those clouds) has just been very well restored and put back into place under the flag.

Horrible anthill damage -- what soulless beast could have done such a heartless thing? Probably a soulless beast did it.

But the little guys are already hard at the reparations. That's why they're ants. 13 June, on the way to Grand Cunay.

From the higher end of Grand Cunay, we're looking towards the slightly lower end, with the farm on it, and towards the Col du Marchairuz.

Kristin peakbagging the Grand Cunay summit on a windy day

We're looking from Grand Cunay towards the shrouded Mont Tendre and the airport radar antennae in the way

Stoli Vanilla, Red Bull, and orange juice (called the "Tahoe"), and now we're ready for the return hike.

A little too close to the big limestone hole on the far side of Grand Cunay. I normally try to stay three metres back from the fence or wall, in case of a gust of wind or a moment of mixed objectives or a low blood sugar woozy or whatever . . .

. . . but here I have to risk my life by holding onto Kristin's belt whilst she leans out over the thing to get a photo down the bottom of it. Not much sun gets to the snow down there.

Another hole along the way -- one of my favorites, because it's one that some dimwit keeps throwing branches over every year, thinking he's helping wandering skiers and snowshoers . . .

. . . when all the branches do is hold up the snow and turn it into a Heffalump Trap.

Millions or perhaps billions of cute little ants scurrying round the top of it purposefully, and a continuous traffic up and down it of energetic monomaniacs carrying spruce needles and checking out the aphid herds.

Near the farm of La Bassine at the top of our Route des Montagne, 3 July 2010 in the rain, an anthill that is about to eat a tree

A Fourth of July celebration near the Chemin des Illanches trail near Amburnex: Game On!

Stripped the carcass clean down to the bones. 11 July, near Le Vermeilley.

A baby anthill, near Les Echadex, 17 July 2010

Those are snippets from early summer 2010, and if we can finish our current assignment by our looming deadline, we'll be off to northern Wisconsin in a week's time.

note: "formicant" = Crawling like an ant: applied in medicine to the pulse when it is extremely small, scarcely perceptible, unequal, and communicates a sensation like that of the motion of an ant (Wordnik)

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