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.
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.