THE early arrival of spring is still influencing the seasonal change out on the nature reserves.

If you take a trip out onto the heathland nature reserves of Burlish Top, the Rifle Range, Vicarage Farm or Hartlebury Common, you will see the reserves are starting to turn purple as the heather is blossoming rather earlier than usual.

While the purple of the heather flowers is the most visually spectacular feature on the heath, the sward of feathery, wavy grass is also coming into its prime.

The hot summer weather has burnt the grass flower heads into a lovely golden brown. They move in the breeze to reveal, momentarily, their slightly purple stem. This creates a mosaic of moving colour.

It is pleasant to stroll through areas where this grass grows in abundance.

But you do have to keep your wits about you as, especially on the Rifle Range, there is often the odd rose or bramble in the way.

These wavy-hair dominated areas are known as "acid" grasslands, due to the acidic or sandy nature of the soil on which they are exclusively found.

One of the most obvious inhabitants of these acid grasslands is the meadow ant. These ants create big, grassy mounds, most of which ounds are around 50cms in diameter and up to 30cms tall, but big ones can be almost twice this size.

The yellow meadow ants are among the nicer ants. They have a placid nature, preferring to run and hide, even if disturbed.

They also spend nearly all their life underground eating the honeydew produced by aphids found feeding on the roots of plants.

In the past I have even, inadvertently, used one of their nests as a pillow, without any concern.

The same could not be said about a wood ants colony.

These ants will be making their presence felt on a few afternoons this month.

On a warm and humid evening, the males and unmated females of the nest, the only ants with wings, will take to the air to find a mate and start a new colony.

These nests are a vital part of the acid grassland and heathland communities as they form an important part of the diet of the green woodpecker.

If you visit these reserves at quiet times, either early in the morning or after heavy rain, then these magnificent and beautiful birds can be seen down on the ground feeding, with their long, sticky tongues, on these ants.