What are these ants doing?

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This almost reminds me of this plant my mom planted in the front garden. In order for the flower to bloom, the black ants have to eat the film off the bud. The ants are so drawn to this plant and the buds that they don't come in the house. I have no idea what plant it is, but the flowers are beautiful with very tall stalks. I have never seen aphids before this picture. That's a very interesting symbiotic relationship though. My daughter would be one to discover it in our yard and I would sadly have to spray it away. Then, I would get a phone call from her father about showing a bad example about the value of life. I got this call once when I let her cut a worm in half to see if it would regenerate. She was curious....

Peony is the plant you are talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony