I was working in the backyard when I noticed an ant on a peony bud. Immediately, I thought of the old idea that peony buds need ants to transform from bud to flower.
I didn’t know exactly why or how that interaction worked. So, of course, I Googled it.
It turns out that it’s a myth. Michele Warmund of the Plant and Science Department of the University of Missouri says peonies can blossom all on their own. However, the biological mutualism between ants and peonies is true.
Peony flowers provide food for ants, who keep harmful floral-feeding insects away in return. According to Warmund, spraying the peonies with insecticides is unnecessary. The ants will protect the flowers as long as they can obtain food.
So, if you see ants on your peonies, celebrate!
© Bruce Stambaugh 2024
Roadkill Crossing 
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