The Passionate Wait (for the opening of the flowers)

This short documentary highlights events before the opening of the passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) flowers. Drought conditions during the summer of 2011 increased the activity of many insects and spiders around the extrafloral nectaries of the plant. The water budget of the plants is strongest early in the morning. Flowers do not open until the middle of the day. At first, passion flower is generous to the ants in the morning providing ample volume of nectar. On the other hand, pollinators remain hungry. Towards the middle of the day the water budget of many plants start to strain. Nectar secretion shifts from nectaries at the base of the flower towards the nectaries on leaf stalks. Ants are successfully kept outside the flowers preventing a conflict with pollinators.

Learn more at: https://naturedocumentaries.org/114/t...