Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Ivy & Ants

Ivy (Hedera) is a late bloomer.
The first flowers are attracting ants.

mthew

One response to “Ivy & Ants”

  1. Chuck McAlexander

    This ivy flower looks rather inconvenient for pollinators like bees and butterflies. What does the plant get from the ants beside perhaps some protection from parasites and herbivores? Ants don’t travel far enough and aren’t anatomically equipped to carry a load of pollen, so I don’t think polination is opart of the trade.

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