Ecuador’s blooming flower industry feels pandemic’s punch

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Flower growers in Ecuador are trimming back their fields, cutting plants at the root and in some cases tossing out piles of colorful blooms entirely as the pandemic delivers a devastating blow to one of the nation’s biggest export industries. Demand for the small South American country’s prized flowers has struggled to rebound after plummeting earlier this year – and remains at just 70% the normal rate, according to the Ecuadorian Flower Growers and