The Teesdale Fighting Ant. A New Discovery

There’s been a slight hiatus on the Pie Blog during which I’ve been mainly dog-sitting for an urgently incontinent geriatric dog. Sometimes you have to do these things.

But I’m back now and I’ve noticed that during the gap, there’s been a bit of a build-up or queue of Things To Do, including today’s Reccy for a walk up the Pennine Way in Teesdale wot I’m doing at the weekend. I will include more stuff about this after Sunday, including maps and photies, diagrams and scientific references.

But, after such a gap , I must say that this morning, Teesdale was looking extremely beautiful and sunny and, well, just really good. And here’s some pictures of Things I Saw…

There’s a lot of this flower near High Force. No, I mean a lot……  I think it’s Bog Ashpodel

And if you visit High Force and pay the fee and you’re by the river taking pictures, be aware that there are people on the crag above you watching what you’re doing. So don’t do anything rude or naughty. We could spit on your head from here…

The juniper woodland near High Force is dying from a fungus infection. These are juniper berries. These could well be very important for the survival of Teesdale junipers.  They taste of gin by the way. They’re a bit crunchy.

This is some kind of vetch. Its obviously a pea family flower, but I seem to have a problem identifying vetches. Its pretty, though, eh? There’s loads of it in the meadow near Cronkley.

The Tees is just magnificent at this point. Its quite wild up here, innit?

It’s heartening to see that the farmer’s kids of Upper Teesdale are learning the right way to express Get Off My Land notices. This one shows a certain flair. Bless ‘em, ..sniff (sign at forest School)

I came across this pair of juvenile hedgehogs behind the school.  Before you all go “ah, bless..cute..” you should be aware that they’re both dead. Stiff as bricks. It’s a bit odd, though…..  maybe I should tell somebody….

This lad just doesn’t care….  There’s a few of these up Teesdale just now. They all seem pretty relaxed, which is A Good Thing.

And that was it.

Justaminnit, I hear you ask…worrabout these ants…?

Its a sad tale, and there will be no photographs. I sat by the river today, for the purpose of scoffing an orange and watching the foam drift by..  and I was brutally attacked by a bunch of ants. Not only did these gangsters bite my bum at the time, but several hid in my shorts and delivered several nasty nips over the next half a mile, during my retreat, as it were. These turned out to be a rare breed of Teesdale Fighting Ants – A vicious, scheming, sneaky, suicidal (I killed a few of them) and completely ruthless breed mainly concerned with the targetting of unsuspecting innocent ramblers’ naughty parts. My shorts area now appears to be grievously damaged in ways which are unsuitable for family viewing. So no pictures (be grateful for this) .We have germoline, though and I’m going to be busy picking scabs over the next week or so. So every cloud….

Luckily, my wife is a qualified nurse. Unfortunately, she seems to think that this is funny for some reason.

Ouch..!