This is the story of one of those trees.
Our African queen is a mature sycomore fig. She started life as a seed one hundred years ago.
She provides for many animals. To some, she is a hunting ground; to others, she is home. She feeds a greater variety than any tree in Africa. All rely on her tiny fig wasp partner that only a few even notice.
Every few months, the queen produces up to a ton of fruit. To reproduce, she must transferpollen to make seeds and then disperse them inside the figs. The last crop fell only days ago. But up above, she is starting again.
Over the next two weeks, the tiny buds swell to become young figs.
Hidden inside each are the queen’s tiny flowers. At this stage a fig is not a fruit, but a secret garden whose delicate perfume attracts a flock of fig wasps. Their arrival will trigger a sequence of events that will resonate out through the bush.
