A new conservation project is set to provide a more secure future for two of the UK’s rarest ant species.

The ants in question are the Narrow-headed Ant (Formica exsecta), the only English population of which is found at Devon Wildlife Trust’s Chudleigh Knighton Heath nature reserve, and the Erratic Ant (Tapinoma erraticum), a Nationally Scarce species which was recently discovered living at the Trust’s Bovey Heathfield nature reserve. Together, the two nature reserves are among the best and largest remaining examples of a heathland landscape that once covered much of the surrounding area of South Devon.

The Narrow-headed Ant takes its name from the distinctive ‘pinched-look’ of its head. The species is also found at a few sites in Scotland, with one recent discovery on the Royal estate at Balmoral capturing national headlines.