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The Queen of Trees
Introduction

NATURE reveals the importance of an unlikely partnership between a regal tree and a tiny wasp in The Queen of Trees.

It may be one of nature’s oddest couples: a tiny wasp that can barely be seen, and a giant fig tree, the sycomore, which shelters a remarkable menagerie of wildlife among its limbs. The wasp and the fig depend on each other for survival. Without the wasp, the tree could not pollinate its flowers and produce seeds. Without the fig, the wasp would have nowhere to lay its eggs.

The Queen of Trees shows this delicate dance of survival in exquisite detail, including spectacular close-ups of the wasp’s remarkable life inside a ripening fig. To capture such incredible images, filmmakers Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble spent two years camped out near a giant sycomore fig in Kenya’s outback, documenting the tree’s pivotal role as a source of food and shelter for everything from gray hornbills, Africa’s largest bird, to swarms of invading insects searching for food. In a surprising turn, some insects come to the tree’s aid — sparking a battle you won’t want to miss. 

Online content for The Queen of Trees was originally posted April 2006.

To order a copy of The Queen of Trees, please visit the NATURE Shop.

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8 comments

#1

08/31/2008 :: 06:38:52 PM
Katie Says:

I love your show, I have since I was little. But I want to know what more I can do to help conservation.

#2

09/04/2008 :: 01:20:30 AM
nelson Says:

This is the best nature doc I have ever seen, period!

#3

09/04/2008 :: 08:55:10 PM
Sharon Says:

Oh - do wasps have breasts? I was loving it until that description, please don’t dumb it down. I would like to show this to my high school biology students - but really??

#4

09/06/2008 :: 05:29:04 PM
al mc gill Says:

I’ve sent an email to “programming”, but in hopes of getting an answer I will ask again here - why is it not on the NY PBS channel tomorrow night? I told over 50 email pals across the country about it being the best of all the “Nature” programs. What do I have to do in the future to access programs which are shown locally despite program notification that I receive?

#5

09/07/2008 :: 04:58:44 PM
rachel Says:

of course wasps do not have breasts, as only mammals have mammary glands. It was a colloquial usage of the word.

I also get frustrated when my local PBS station chooses not to show Nature at the normal time. I am glad some episodes are available online, but hope to see more online ones in the future.

#6

09/07/2008 :: 09:30:22 PM
acf Says:

Dumbing down the science takes away from the program. If they take such liberties with the facts as saying wasps have breasts, what else would the writers be willing to distort. Just use the correct terminology, please. The credibility of PBS is at stake.

#7

09/07/2008 :: 11:26:05 PM
jen Says:

I missed it, due to the fundraising. It was my dream episode.

#8

09/08/2008 :: 04:04:52 AM
Harold Bosnia Says:

Definition of “breast” (brst)
n.
1.
a. Either of two milk-secreting, glandular organs on the chest of a woman; the human mammary gland.
b. A corresponding organ in other mammals.
c. A corresponding rudimentary gland in the male.
2.
a. The superior ventral surface of the human body, extending from the neck to the abdomen.
b. A corresponding part in other animals.
3. The part of a garment that covers the chest.
4. The seat of affection and emotion: “Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast” Shakespeare.
5. A source of nourishment.

—-

so, whaddya know … it might appear that you all might have definitions of “breast” that are too restrictive !

The “breast” of the female wasp 1) topologically conforms to the upper front of the human and, 2) provides nourishment !

Ok, so an insect is not a mammal. So what.

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