In these regions of southern Portugal Caprifigs show their Profichi crop getting slowly ripe and liberating thousands of pollinating wasps for caprification of all nearby figs.

 
Before flying off to the close-by surrounding receptive figs, these wasps unload chunks of the golden pollen to alleviate them from that excessive load by rubbing their long legs over their wings, antennae and body and preparing for an easier flight to destination... still a lot of pollen is left smeared over their bodies. Just on the side of this Profichi, a young. receptive  Mammoni will for sure be getting some wasp visits

 
Ripe Profichis of another variety (A1/A2)  liberating wasps to rather close Black Smyrna figs.

(B1/B2) shown signs of having already received pollen - a more dull green skin marked with white dots.

(C) This smaller and probably not yet receptive fig, its shining green skin denoting absence of pollination.

(D) Pollination may come too late for this fig showing clear signs of having collapsed for lack of pollination.... ( dry and brown/violet skin colors)  when receptive, a week-10 days ago, wasps were not yet there.

Francisco
Portugal

Thanks for the great photos and teaching us about the influence of the wasps.

You are an excellent teacher, Francisco!!  Thanks!

Suzi

Beautiful photos and explanation, obrigado!

Thanks for the info .....very interesting

Thank you very much for your kind commenting .

Through times this process (fig pollination) was known to happen by St.John's day -June 24 - among our local  Roman catholic rural communities.
Botanists and Pomologists would  always 'correct' that assumption saying the right date is a week before that... on June 16th ! This more 'scientific' timing was also the rule along the countries of the  Mediterranean Basin as well as California.. in the Northern Hemisphere, at least for the past century.

 In my area, in recent years,  Nature has apparently changed the rules and made Caprifigs to ripen when they so decide !

2014 Season, saw wasps all over on May 27th .. this Season, saw the first ones on June 3rd.

Francisco
Portugal