Cicadas and figs

Dog-day cicadas are in prime sound right now. We have been finding cicada exuviae all over Ann Arbor.

This cicada shed is on a fig leaf in our garden.

The two figs in the garden showing some of the figs.

So why didn’t my figs produce fruit before this year? I have three ideas –

First, the figs weren’t old enough. I planted these in the fall of 2021, so the plants are only four years old.

Second, one or both of the figs hadn’t flowered in the past. Figs required cross-pollination since they cannot self pollinate.

Third, and most likely – the wasps that pollinated the flowers weren’t here. Figs required specific small wasps for pollination.

The image above, from Insect Biology, a text book of entomology perfectly illustrates the fig flower and the wasp. The bottom of the image shows the flower with the small wasp. The top of the image shows a blown up view of the wasp. Male and female wasps enter the flower where they mate. The male dies in the flower while the female leaves. So techinally, every fig has a dead wasp in it. Since the flowers are so small the wasps are actually microscopic. But the result is amazing.

A couple of figs on one of the shrubs that are slowly maturing. My fear is that my two plants are two shaded by a nearby maple for the fruit to mature. But there are still two months to go.

I’ll let you know what happens.

More later…