Some plant species attract ants with special nectar-producing glands. It is thought that ants help protect the plant from herbivorous pest insects, so the arrangement is beneficial for both ants and plants. Here, a Crematogaster cerasi forager feeds from a leaf nectary of an Ailanthus tree of paradise. Champaign, Illinois, USA
Forelius mccooki workers taking nectar from a Cholla cactus in the Sonoran desert. Cacti provide nectar to attract ants, as some ant species help the plant by removing herbivorous insects. Tucson, Arizona, USA
A carpenter ant visits an extrafloral nectary on a leaf stem of an invasive Melia azederach tree. Austin, Texas, USA.
