Platanthera ciliaris - ant assisted pollination

[jococomo]

I have been hand-pollinating Platanthera ciliaris as flowers mature, and the pollinaria become ripe. Yesterday was windy, and I was leaning over the bog garden to do the deed with the tip of a bamboo skewer, and dropped a few of the tiny pollinaria, which became immediately lost among the organic fluff of the bog surface. Eventually I noticed movements down there, and discovered my lost pollinaria scurrying about, held high like flags by tiny and very excited ants! Unfortunately for the ants, those bundles of protein were precious to me also, and I was able to retrieve them and put them, I hope, to good use.

[SzPeter_hu]

nice story. I really like Platantheras. What a pity that we only have white and green forms here in Europe...

[Jed]

I have observed ants rushing around my epipactis gigantea and palustris plants. I don't know if they are after pollen or nectar for food, but whatever they are doing, they have quite successfully pollinated my flowers.