Ants – Page 2 – Tendrils

Northern Flicker

A patch of the native plant, Smooth Sumac, Rhus glabra. A wonderful magnet for birds during the late winter and early spring.

Hard to decide which might be my favorite bird, but one that is right up there at the top, Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus, is one of the birds that is attracted to the rich crimson berries.

The place I would expect to find a Northern Flicker, unlike most other woodpeckers, is on the ground. They hunt for ant larvae and beetle grubs, pecking into the soil the way other woodpeckers would be pecking into a tree trunk.

During this part of the year though, it is in the Smooth Sumac where I often see these handsome birds.

And if my stars are lined up just right, I might be lucky and capture a flash of marvelous yellow.

Or perhaps I can catch one signaling to others, letting them know that it is safe to land.

Trilliums

Late April and early May is Trillium time in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Seeing Trillium along the trails in the mountains close to my cabin has inspired me to include them in my gardens. Little by little, as the saying goes. Yes, little by little, I am getting Trillium incorporated into my cabin gardens. The photograph, above is one of my garden Trillium, a White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, which is easy to find on the trails of the higher elevations of Snow Mountain and Hightop.

And here, another image of White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, in bud.

There is another form of the White Trillium, pictured in bud above, which blooms in pale pink and white. This is Trillium grandiflorum forma roseum. I don’t have this form in my gardens. This image was taken further up the mountain, very near Shenandoah National Park.

I’m in search of a nursery that has this form of Trillium, but I must be *cautious* to only purchase any of these Trillium from a nursery which grows its plants from seed and does not dig them from the wild. One must be careful too, not to pick any portion of a wild Trillium, since doing this can cause the entire plant to die. Though I have many acres up here, I would not pick or transplant any of the Trillium on my property, since I believe they are happy where Mother Nature has planted them. I must find a reliable source to make my gardens beautiful.

Hiking this time of year provides such breath taking views of Trillium carpeting the forest floor. An experience that makes lugging two heavy cameras and various lenses well worth it. This image above, is another image of Trillium grandiflorum forma roseum.

Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum, is another of the Trillium that are in my garden. Not many, but I am hoping for these and others to spread as the years go by. And, Oh MY! Does this one have a delightful, lemon scent!

Here, another species of the small population of Trillium that populate my gardens. This one, pictured above, Prairie Trillium, Trillium recurvatum.

Trillium are a family of plants that produce seeds that have an appendage, called an elaiosome, which are attractive to ants, who gather the seeds, and feed them to their larvae. Once the lipid and protein rich elaiosomes are consumed, the ants take the seeds to their “trash room” which is a splendid environment for the seeds to sprout. I’m hoping ants will help *my* Trillium spread.

The showstopper, above, is the Red Trillium, Trillium erectum, which I have only seen in Shenandoah National Park. It is on my mountain, but within park boundaries. One of these days I’ll find this one, at a dependable native plant nursery, and add it to my collection.

And now, my Trillium, at least the White Trillium, are fading, looking like the ghosts of Trillium past. I’m looking forward to seeing what stunning plants will emerge as the season progresses. How about you?

Ants That Are Farmers

Large-flowered Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum — Large-flowered Trillium, *Trillium grandiflorum*

Every now and then, when I am doing research on a plant, I will discover that the plant has an unusual quality. The plants with this unusual quality are said to be myrmecochorous. They use a method of seed dispersal that is facilitated by ants.

Seed pod of Twinleaf, Jeffersonia diphylla — Seed pod of Twinleaf, *Jeffersonia diphylla*

The seeds of myrmecochorous plants have fleshy appendages called elaiosomes which are packed with nutrients, and are tempting to ants. The picture above is of a seed pod of a Twinleaf, Jeffersonia diphylla, filled with seeds with elaiosomes.

Twinleaf, Jeffersonia diphylla — Twinleaf, *Jeffersonia diphylla*

Ants out hunting for food will stumble upon these seeds, gather them, and return to their colony to feed the elaiosomes to hungry larvae.

Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica — Spring Beauty, *Claytonia virginica*

Once the elaiosomes are consumed, the ants have no further use for the seeds, and throw them into their colony’s “trash room.”

Wild Bleeding Heart, Dicentra Eximia — Wild Bleeding Heart, *Dicentra Eximia*

The environment in the “trash room” is a near perfect setting to start seeds – underground, and full of nourishment essential for plant growth.

Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia — Common Blue Violet, *Viola sororia*

A new crop of plants, thanks to ant farmers.

The plants included in this blog are but a few of the myrmecochorous plants of my area, the mountains of central Virginia, and world wide there are more than 3,000 species.

Seeds Planted by Ants

Large-flowered Trillium, *Trillium grandiflorum*, a native wildflower which benefits from seed dispersal by ants

What an amusing thought. Seeds that ants will harvest and then plant. It actually does happen. There are some seeds in our world of Nature that have fleshy parts, called elaiosomes. These elaiosomes are lipid-rich and are very attractive to ants. The ants harvest the seeds, take them to their underground homes and feed the elaiosomes to their larvae. The leftover part of the seed is then discarded, to the ants’ underground trashroom which contains nutrient rich soil, a perfect place for these wildflower seeds to be planted. This process, of seed dispersal by ants is called Myrmecochory. There are some 3,000 plant species on our planet which benefit from this interaction with ants. This is mutually beneficial to the ant and to the plant. It is obvious that this is a benefit to the ant. The ants are getting food for their larvae. For the plant, the seed dispersal lessens competition between the parent plant and its seedlings, provides protection for the seeds from predation, and provides excellent soil conditions for seedling growth.

This spring, I’ve run into several native wildflowers which are part of this ant/plant interaction.

Take a walk with me, and I’ll show you a few of them:

Twin Leaf has cool leaves Twin leaves which look like butterflies to me

Bloodroot, *Sanguinaria canadensis*, just emerging from the forest soil

Bloodroot, with a blush of pink, the flower not yet open

These are just a few of the plants that benefit from seed dispersal by ants. I just happened to stumble upon them during hikes on my mountain. There must be many more here. I’ll let you know when I find more.