In life, one often tends to overlook the little things and yet, they are of the utmost importance, generally speaking. Ants, for instance.

Ants are indispensable for our ecosystems. I do not know how many of the 12,000 ant species known one can find in Mallorca, but plenty they are if one bothers to look out for them. There are more ants on our island than humans, including the 12,000,000 visiting guests that Mallorca welcomes every year. A thousand times more.

The ants shown here were of a large specimen; they were reassuringly busy as bees working away, carrying their booties. I do not know whether this particular ant belongs to the Linepithema humile species, also known as the Argentinian ant. But it may well be so, because it is said that the South American migrant ant has already exterminated up to 90 % of the autochthonous ant species.

Orhan Pamuk, 2006 Nobel Laureate for Literature, gives a great justification for his life’s work: “Words (and the works of literature they make) are like water or like ants. Nothing can penetrate into the cracks, holes, and invisible gaps of life as fast or as thoroughly as words can” (On Reading: Words or Images, essay). 

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 15th, 2008. The time was 16:55:29.