Looks like my red peony will have some healthy blooms soon. The ants are working the blooms pretty good.
Supposedly, peonies need a lot of sunshine and don’t need ants on them to bloom. However, I’ve learned over my many decades of trying to grow them, that the varieites like this one would have a lot of bloom buds shrivel away if they didn’t get much attention from ants or other insects and bugs.
My old white peony bushes out in the yard has only one viable bloom bud between 7 of them and they get plenty of sun. Early on each bush had several bloom buds but no ants insects nor lady bugs. Sure enough, all the bloom buds shriveled away but 1.
Happily, this red peony is giving a great promise of several blooms.
(If the wind doesn’t flatten them to the ground first.)

Wishing you all a month of sunshine and smiles.