Ants and Peonies

"Hey Dad, why are so many ants on the buds of the peony?" Timmy asked. "Do they eat the buds?"
"Oh, no!" his dad answered. "Let's have a closer look."
 "With the development of flowers on peony plants, ants also arrive. While ants on the buds and flowers can be a nuisance, they do no harm. Once bloom is complete, ants will disappear from peony flowers and move on to find a food source elsewhere.
It is a myth that peonies require ants to bloom. The relationship between peonies and ants is a type of mutualism in which two organisms of different species benefit from the activity of one another. Peony flowers provide food for ants and in turn, the ants protect the blossoms from other floral-feeding insects."

(Dad had a little look at google before he showed Timmy the ants on the buds)
"Oh, that's clever from the peony and the ants", Timmy said.
"May I have a lick on the peony? How does it taste? Like Marshmallows? And do the ants tickle?....?"
Sometimes Timmies curiosity has no limits. Poor Dad! :-D


Reminder for the Tiny People Challenge TiPS.
Have a look here for the entries in May so far to get an idea.
The tag for May is TiPS33.
You can make as many entries as you like. I'm looking forward to many creative entries of the adventures of all sorts of tiny figures. Have fun!