Myriad symbioses exist between insects and orchids, especially in tropical forests where the majority of species are epiphytic. Relationships between ants and rare epiphytic orchids are underrepresented in the scientific literature. The natural history and ecological entomology of Florida's endangered and epiphytic ghost orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii (Lindley) Bentham ex Rolfe (Orchidaceae), remain limited. Widely recognized for long-standing hypotheses concerning the species' pollination ecology, that documentation recently overturned, other interactions between insects and ghost orchids are scarce. Here we describe the first associations between ants, Crematogaster ashmeadi Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and D. lindenii. Ghost orchid roots provide facultative and opportunistic structures for arboreal ants to use in nesting. Furthermore, excrement from ant colonies within the root mass can increase nutrient availability in the orchid's nutrient-poor substrate; the proximity of these ants permits patrolling to defend the plant and exert control over possible extra floral nectaries that require further inquiry. This study presents novel observations that expand the known insect associations with ghost orchids, elucidating the complex ecology of one of Florida's rarest and most endangered species.