The lipstick red, torpedo-shaped flowering spike of the Dwarf French Kiss attracts ants because it secretes a sweet, sugary fluid.
These ants harvest the nectar and help protect the seeds from being destroyed by the larvae of certain flies. Clever little act of seduction, isn't it? Its other names include Dwarf Lipstick, Dwarf Cone Ginger, Scarlet Spiral Flag, Red Cane, Red Button Ginger, Panamanian Candle Ginger and Indian Head Ginger.
But I think French Kiss is the easiest to remember it by. 8D
Stunting red, a beautiful pic of those flowers and ants. Our ants farms aphids ( greenfly ) for the give of sugar. if I see ants I know there are also aphids on the plant .
( Did you believe my ( that ) story ? )
oh! your ants have such long legs! isn't it great the things we see and learn on 365?!?! i've never seen this pretty flower before either. very nice and interesting shot for me:)
Have never seen or heard of this little beauty before. Look at those ants go ... performing their little act of "protection!" Score one for the Dwarf French Kiss! Beautiful macro (and dof) of this ..such vibrant colors! Love these places that have exotic flowers. Is it humid in there, Livia? And hot? Just curious. You certainly have a way of capturing the most unique objects ... way to go, Livia. :)
Lovely shot Livia and I agree with Paula - the info we get on things and places from around the world on 365 is fantastic so thanks for telling us the story of the ants :)
Great picture (but then again, all of your pictures are great! I always enjoy seeing what you're posting each day.) I never heard of this flower before - interesting specimen.
@pyrrhula Yes, Pyrrhula, I do believe you. I've read about some ants farming aphids. It's so interesting, all the different roles that ants play in the world of nature. 8)
@karenann Is it humid and hot? Let's just say that, after spending two hours walking around in a nature reserve here, I feel and look like I've just gone swimming with all my clothes on! The humidity is terrible. On average, it's between 75% and 90% although, when it rains, it can go all the way to 100%. Daytime temperature is usually between 31 and 33 deg Celsius. That, together with the high humidity levels, is why I complain about the weather on a daily basis. Even though I've lived here all my life, I never got used to the weather. I only got better at whining about it. 8D
@steeler These weird flowers are commonplace here. I see them in parks and, sometimes, by the roadside. 8)
Okay ... we're twins. We had moved to Florida ...the hot and humid summers just about killed me. And I mean that literally. I couldn't even breathe when I went out to check the mail. If the A/C went out for a few hours, I thought that I was going to die. I whined and whined. We moved. Michigan has cold winters. We would like a more temperate climate. But "hot and humid?!" No. Never again.
Beautiful shot - I really like how one flower seems to flirt with the other :-). And I enjoyed that your pictures have a large version now - looking closer at the ants was very interesting.
@equinoxe Sometimes there's a bigger version and sometimes there isn't. It has to do with the dimensions of the file that I upload. Mimi Ditchie did tell me that it seems anything in excess of 1,100 pixels on the longest side will yield a larger version that can be seen. I try to keep that in mind but sometimes I forget! 8D
@tonydebont I try to keep an eye out for ants all the time now. Because once, while taking a photograph, I unwittingly stood on a fat line of big ants and didn't realize it until I was bitten. Now I try to remember to check the ground for ants before I stop to take a shot. Actually, compared to ants on the ground, ants on anything else are easier to spot since the distance is closer. 8)
Terrific shot and interesting information. Seems that I had what was called a lipstick plant (casually) when I lived in S. Florida, probably was a variety of this one. How neat you were able to get the ants in such detail. BTW, just read the 1st paragraph of your profile and that is me to a "T."
i could think of a few other names that should be given this plant but i might censored :-) wonderful shot. i'm afraid of those ants whenever i see them. they are nasty biters!
A great, big, ants-free, lipstick-slick, red-hued, sugary and sweet "THANK YOU!" to everyone!
The Dwarf French Kiss isn't unusual here. I've seen it in gardens and parks mostly but they are also planted by the road in a few places. I think it's an attractive plant. The flowering spikes do look like lipsticks. Thank you so much for taking the time, stopping by and leaving a comment. Your support is something I appreciate and am grateful for. Again, thank you so much!
Beautiful capture. Incredible color. Really like that you were able to capture the ants as well. I wonder if Hummingbirds are attrached to it also? I've always read that they have a big attraction to the color red.
I've never seen anything like this. It's so beautiful. I love how you have this one so sharp and so many in the distance. It looks like they go on forever.
@losthorizon There are no hummingbirds in this part of the world, unfortunately. Hummingbirds live only in the Americas. We do have sunbirds which resemble hummingbirds but are not related to them. 8)
( Did you believe my ( that ) story ? )
@karenann Is it humid and hot? Let's just say that, after spending two hours walking around in a nature reserve here, I feel and look like I've just gone swimming with all my clothes on! The humidity is terrible. On average, it's between 75% and 90% although, when it rains, it can go all the way to 100%. Daytime temperature is usually between 31 and 33 deg Celsius. That, together with the high humidity levels, is why I complain about the weather on a daily basis. Even though I've lived here all my life, I never got used to the weather. I only got better at whining about it. 8D
@steeler These weird flowers are commonplace here. I see them in parks and, sometimes, by the roadside. 8)
@tonydebont I try to keep an eye out for ants all the time now. Because once, while taking a photograph, I unwittingly stood on a fat line of big ants and didn't realize it until I was bitten. Now I try to remember to check the ground for ants before I stop to take a shot. Actually, compared to ants on the ground, ants on anything else are easier to spot since the distance is closer. 8)
The Dwarf French Kiss isn't unusual here. I've seen it in gardens and parks mostly but they are also planted by the road in a few places. I think it's an attractive plant. The flowering spikes do look like lipsticks. Thank you so much for taking the time, stopping by and leaving a comment. Your support is something I appreciate and am grateful for. Again, thank you so much!