Species of the Month: February 2026

Yellow Meadow Ant is one of around 50 native ant species found in the UK. The group as a whole is under recorded, due to their diminutive size and the difficulty of identification. However, Yellow Meadow Ant can be recorded from a field sign - the large and distinctive hills formed by the species on undisturbed grassland.

Individuals of Yellow Meadow Ant are seldom seen, as the species lives entirely underground, farming root feeding aphids for their honeydew. The colony will build upwards, forming a soil dome above their nest to help regulate temperature and heat. These domes can reach over 1 metre in height if the soil remains undisturbed. A large number of hills is an excellent indicator of undisturbed old grassland. The hills create a secondary habitat and greatly increase biodiversity by supporting a range of additional plants and invertebrates.

In south Wales they can often be seen on steeper areas of grazed farmland, where the land is unsuitable for tilling. You may also see them in parks, meadows, colliery sites and even in the garden if you leave your grass unmown. There are some other ants which form hills in the UK, but the large and vegetated mounds as shown in the photo should be safe to record as Yellow Meadow Ant. Please include a photograph of the mound(s) when recording, to allow the national specialist to verify your records.

You can learn more about Yellow Meadow Ants from The Wildlife Trusts and the Biological Recording Company (including a video).

LERC Wales holds just over 1,500 records for Yellow Meadow Ant in Wales, you can view the Wales-wide distribution map on Aderyn here. We hold just 639 records of Grey Squirrel in the SEWBReC area. You can view the 1km distribution map of the SEWBReC area on Aderyn here.

If you spot Yellow Meadow Ant hills during February (or at any other time of year) please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.