Foraging hike into the grove;-)Ants all over the place!

 I went into the grove after work yesterday to get some more birch sap, and there were thousands of red ants (formica rufa) in the place. Red ants play a very important role in forest ecology, and it´s great that they prosper in that intensity again. They get rid of vermin and carrion and serve as food for many different species themselves. 

 Swarming all over the place and enjoying birch sap as much as I do;-).

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 I tapped the birch with a new take on the tapping system. I took my blackthorn tap and threaded a piece of plastic tube inside to make for a closed system.

 ...like this, see...*ggg*?

 Coke bottles are great for that. Simply drilled a hole into the cap. Something to think about: We like to think about plastic as trash. But if you consider it´s made from refined mineral oil, and mineral oil ressources are limited, you get another picture concerning the value of our so-called "junk" plastic. Ever wondered why soft drink bottles get ever so much more flimsy and flexible? This is to save money on the production process, and to enhance the ecological balance. I daresay a coke bottle will be a treasure one day, when oil ressources are even more limited.

 Found this piece of wood from a fallen birch, too, that will make a fine handle for a staff...

 Away I ventured, into the hills;-) and far away... and not a worry on my mind.

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...and the loot;-)