Yesterday hundreds of ants flew high up into the sky which is a common sight in July or August. Often I find nests of ant eggs when planting or weeding and probably several ant colonies exist in our garden which is a nuisance even though ants can be considered beneficial by aerating the soil and pollinating some plants.  Colonies of ants are separated into groups of individuals that have specific jobs, such as workers, soldiers, and queens. The workers are all females that take care of the much larger queen, eggs and larvae while others go out to find food or de fend the nest. On “ant day” swarms of males and young queens fly up and mate, then the males die and the queens try to find another colony.  Some birds have an aerial  feast.
This ant was one of several creatures used in church today on the importance of our ecosystem.