A cow-pea blossom (not cow-pee...that's something else) at Juno Dunes Natural Area with the ever-present ant friends who protect it. This member of the Fabaceae is in the same genus as the black eyed pea and mung bean. It is the larval host plant for cassius blue and several other butterflies and is sometimes used as cattle forage as it is quite tasty (to a cow) and high in protein. It's also a good nitrogen fixer. This is another species with extrafloral nectaries which attract ant protectors and "support a round-the-clock ant guard that may protect the flowers and fruits from predators". *

• Ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries in fire successional habitats on Andros (Bahamas).