Ants and Peonies
I am usually careful, when giving a bouquet of peonies to a friend or relative, to ensure that the recipients are prepared to kill or transport a few ants that will eventually come crawling off of the blossoms. Sometimes they are just little ants, and other times they are fat and rather startlingly large.
I have never minded ants on peonies. I grew up watching my mother garden, and the large peony shrubs along the front of her house were very special to her. Over the 50-year stretch that my parents owned their river property, they truly loved their peonies. I am sure she longed for each spring to be over quickly so that it would be June and time for her peonies to open. Then she would cut the flowers, doing this before the big June rainstorms came, knowing the rains would smash these beauties into the ground, and she would bring armfuls of her flowers into the house. She would lovingly arrange massive bouquets inside our home, placing one of these on a large, round oak table in the living room, near the piano, and another on a smaller table close to the front door of the house to help welcome our visitors. Each vase would be thick with stems, leaves, buds, and blossoms, and yes, the ants would eventually climb down and scurry away across the table, or tuck themselves under the edge of a book or newspaper, looking for hiding places. It never stopped her or us from enjoying the dramatic effect of the gorgeous, large peony flowers on their long stems, brightening our home and our lives with their astonishing beauty.
In terms of the health of the flower itself, the ants do not harm the flowers at all. In fact, these old plants have found ways to attract the ants, which then serve to keep other insect populations down. The ants are attracted to the plant’s sweet nectar, and they climb a long way up the stems to have a small feast on these delicious food sources. The petals do not require the ants to arrive in order to open, as was believed some years ago, but some say there is still a symbiotic relationship between these two ancient organisms, and that makes me want to learn more about the relationship. I content myself with the knowledge that the natural world is rich with modes of cooperation between creatures and plants, and while we may not know much beyond the basic “food and protection” exchange by which ants and peonies benefit each other, it is enough to know that they are old friends and spend a lot of time in each other’s company.
Leave the ants to enjoy their meal. Perhaps gently shake then off before taking your peonies inside. Then, relax and enjoy the beauty of your peonies while you can. The warm days of June are fleeting.
Photo and text: NK
Copyright: cookiebuxton.com
