This isn’t about the Force, although I did read recently that a lot of Scottish policemen have put ‘Jedi’ down as their religion on their work forms.
More days than not I spot an example of the sun influencing nature in a way that is new to me in some way. In general terms it is fairly old news that a place that receives no direct sunlight will appear different in some way. It is in the detail that the novelty is to be found. The more obvious signs might be that it has different plants growing and an abundance of mosses and lichens.
The more fascinating signs are subtler, created by factors that are minute but combine to create an effect. The first picture shows how broadbrush nature can be. Despite looking in one direction towards a single hillside, as many as six different bands of colour are visible.
The second picture shows a spot on our lawn where the kids paddling pool had been left for a few days. The grass is lighter as a whole, but then there are those small dark circles.
The ants that created these holes, almost overnight, obviously have a preference for shade and moisture. It is an effect I have seen on a slightly larger scale on the north-facing side of a hill before, caused by moles.
It would take a lot of ants to change the appearance of a hillside, but then for all the endangered species in the world, there are at least plenty of these little workers. A ‘Save the Ants’ appeal would be hard work, even with celebrities draped all over it. 
