PEONY?

Another shot from Kate's Garden for Flower Friday.....I think it's a peony. If I remember correctly, peonies usually have a raft of ants on the buds as the buds secrete a sugary substance to feed them and the ants defend the blossoms from attack by other insect pests. It's a relationship called mutualism, where both partners benefit from the relationship. You have a similar relationship with the bacteria inhabiting your gut. You feed them things that you cannot digest...they digest it and share with you...hoping that you feed them back in kind.