I ran across some clusters of treehoppers and ants on giant ragweed yesterday and today.
Here the ant is the Allegheny mound ant, Formica exsectoides. The treehoppers are nymphs, but I think they are Publilia concava. The ants and treehoppers were found on the undersurface of the leaves, and also in the flowers.
Here I think we have the same species of treehopper, but a different species of ant. These were found on the upper surface of the leaves, and also on the flowers.
Since I don’t know for sure the species of ant I won’t guess at it.
I reported earlier that giant ragweeds were wilting because of the heat and the rain. We have had some rain since and the days have cooled down. You can rest assured in the knowledge that the giant ragweed is doing fine.
