Massachusetts State Flower with Ants - Amherst, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 22.689 W 072° 31.203
18T E 704169 N 4694742
Three new painted utility boxes have been added to the downtown area of Amherst, MA. Massachusetts State Flower with Ants is located at the corner of North Pleasant and Cowles Streets.
Waymark Code: WMZP3M
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2018
Views: 2
The Amherst Cultural Council sponsored the Amherst’s Electrical Box Makeover Project that, on September 15, 2018, added three new painted utility boxes to the downtown area of Amherst.
Vincent Frano created a design featuring the Massachusetts state flower, the trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens), also known as the mayflower. He includes ants in the design. What seems like a strange choice is explained if you follow the QR code that he provides. It will take you to the website - gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/epigaea/repens/ Visit Link where you will discover that the trailing arbutus has a necessary symbiotic relationship with ants:
"Trailing-arbutus flowers in early spring. It was designated the State plant of Massachusetts in 1918. The seeds are dispersed by ants that carry the soft placental tissue back to their nests with the seeds attached."