That sounds horrifying 
There is really no option other than a short tactical retreat when army ants move in on you. They are relentless, well organized and impossible to turn back. Plus, they bite and sting.
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This is one of the most exciting lifer in my backyard and probably the largest saw here. Because of the fence that circles my garden we don’t have deer coming in so…
These are my Northern white breasted hedgehogs that permanently moved into our garden and they’re now feeding side by side with our cats. Pic took this summer as hedgehogs are hibernating during winter.
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Always wanted a hedgehog, they are illegal to own as a pet where I live unfortunately.
I’ve always envied the UK people who can have these living in their yards. About the only equivalent-sized thing we have in our backyards here are rats. Not quite the same appeal for some reason.
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By size, I think mushrooms are going to be the winners a lot of the time.
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And yet… awesome.
(Mind you, I’m glad it wasn’t me. Sorta.)
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I mean, I’m sure it was a sight to behold. An entire household decorated with ants, house cleaning ants, sounds like the classic horror movies of the 80s
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You know, if aphids managed to strike a deal with ants, I wonder if humans will ever get there? Imagine the possibilities!
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Isn’t that called agriculture?
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Yes, it does!
If outdoor critters come to clean my house I prefer the Disney style of cute ones…
Just the thought of that invasion makes my skin crawl…
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You mean, what the ants do? Yes. I think most biologists would say that ants created agriculture a lot longer ago than we humans.
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Army ants definitely aren’t cute. The soldiers have mandibles like ice tongs. But they are efficient, and they don’t do any damage to your belongings. Your food, clothing, furniture, books and so on are quite safe.
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All well and good, but does not quell that feeling I get. I am doing better, but still get the creeps looking at too many in one sitting.
I have good relationships with my house wolf spiders, I let them take shelter in my home they eat whatever bugs they might find. But I agree we need to be more compassionate toward the wildlife around us.
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I’m also the only observer on iNat of the Tongan Robust Tree Skink, and all observations were on the property I lived in.
Going for biggest in their group - this absolute unit of a beetle. Sadly dead, but while rummaging in compost (for this exact kind of thing), I gladly found some beetle larvae, and on the encouragement of @magdastlucia, reared a few of them to chunky adulthood. Some others also decided to overwinter indoors. I’m not a coleopterist, but their obnoxious noisyness and clumsy flight will never fail to endear them to me.
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In the physical sense, the biggest animal I have seen in my Vermont yard was a Moose, about 15 years ago. I didn’t have a camera handy, so I didn’t get a photo, and it was in my pre-iNat days. I keep hoping I see another one. Whenever I see “Moose crossing” signs on the highway, I am always disappointed that they don’t obligingly appear.
The biggest animal I’ve seen around (who regularly tosses the compost bin and eats the apples right off the trees) is a Black bear. I’ve seen it several times, but I never have my camera in hand as it goes lumbering by (my photos are from a game camera at the edge of the yard)
The biggest animal that I have ever made eye contact with (through the lens of my camera) was this rather scruffy-looking Coyote a few weeks ago. It was right outside the window, and when it noticed me it sauntered off, not in too much of a hurry. We hear a pack of them singing nearby quite often… always a thrill!
I don’t have any “big” in terms of “important” observations … yet!
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Come to Alaska! We’ve got lots of backyard moose. There was a big one in my backyard just yesterday, in fact.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/256834587
Exactly! I see tons of those here in Maine, but the only moose I’ve ever seen was across the ocean in Lithuania!
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