Peony Pearls

Have you ever noticed the intense action on peony buds?  My budding peonies are covered with workaholic ants. To be honest, I don’t know how many hours a single ant puts in – yes, they all look alike – but ants certainly are busy at dawn and keep working until dusk. Do some ants work harder than others? Do ants have work shifts? Yes, dear reader, I ask a lot of questions. It is because I am forever curious.

With the help of Ryan Pankau, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, I can share a few answers about this topic:

• Ants have an interdependent relationship with peonies.
• Peonies provide food for the foraging ants – a sweet and sticky coating on their sepals, the greenery covering the flower bud. 
• A scout ant leaves a pheromone map for others in the ant colony to also locate this food source.
• The benefit to peonies is that ants defend their commissary! Ant active duty includes removal of other insects who may damage the flower bud.

We often do not recognize (or misinterpret) interdependence in human culture. This brings to my mind the banning of books in several states. While there are different interpretations of what a comprehensive education for children might look like, removing certain books from school libraries and classrooms certainly does not deliver an interdependent (i.e., survival) education. True learning takes a comprehensive understanding of historical legacies as well as current issues. Book-banishing stems from peoples’ fears.   

According to PEN America, a 2022 poll suggests that over 70% of parents believe that book banning is wrong. The PEN Charter was formed in 1948 and is committed to challenging disinformation because it threatens democracy. One of their recent reports highlights our current mis/disinformation and polarization of issues in our country: Communicating During Contentious Times. This interdependent topic applies to school classrooms as well as school board meetings. However, nonviolent communication skills seem lacking in some settings.

I recently called my only remaining aunt on the phone. She had shared some email details about her parents’ (my maternal grandparents’) interdependent love story on the occasion of the 102^nd anniversary date of their marriage. Grandpa told his beloved that he would choose the month of their marriage – June – and she could choose the day. Grandma, apparently without missing a beat, said June 1st. While a century ago it was an era when men often were the deciders in a marriage, this tidbit of collaboration is fascinating. It does take two to tango (in their own ways) for any relationship.

Peony pearls seem to communicate to their ants, “You have my back! Dance on! Let me feed you.” If peonies and ants have interdependence figured out, what’s the problem with people?

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

191. Where do you see interdependence working well in our culture? 192. When are times that you are challenged by interdependence?