Bees and Flowers: A Pollination Adventure
A sunny story about pollen, nectar, and seeds
A flower is a busy place. Many plants use flowers to make seeds. Bright colors and sweet smells help bees find the blooms.
The bee dips into a flower for nectar. Nectar is sweet flower liquid. It gives the bee energy to fly, fly, fly.
The flower also makes pollen. Pollen is a fine powder. When the bee climbs in, pollen can stick to its hairy body.
Some bees collect pollen to take home. They pack it onto special baskets on their back legs. That pollen helps feed young bees.
Now the bee visits another flower. Some pollen rubs off in the right place. This pollen move is called pollination.
After pollen lands in the right spot, a flower may begin making seeds. In many flowering plants, seeds grow inside fruit.
The bee is looking for food, not trying to help on purpose. Still, bees get food from flowers, and flowers get help making seeds.
Pollinators help many fruits and vegetables grow. Good pollination can help plants make full, healthy fruit.
People can help bees and flowers too. Plant many kinds of flowers that bloom at different times, and use fewer pesticides when you can.
Credits & Sources
Sources
- Pollination - Simple English Wikipedia
- Pollination - Wikipedia
- Bee - Wikipedia
- What is Pollination? - US Forest Service
- Why is Pollination Important? - US Forest Service
- Who Are the Pollinators? - US Forest Service
- Gardening for Pollinators - US Forest Service
- Pollinators - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Image Credits
- Two bees visiting a purple flower while gathering pollen ... -- Arturo Mann, CC BY 2.5
- A bee covered with yellow pollen on a flower -- Ragesoss, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bumblebee deep inside a hibiscus flower with pollen on its body -- Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Honeybee resting on purple lavender flowers -- Gronk Oz, CC0
- Simple diagram showing pollen moving between flower parts... -- YJaredY, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Honeybee visiting pale pink apple blossoms -- Orangeaurochs from Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- Bee tucked among white apple blossoms -- Mainlymazza, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Close view of a honeybee leg carrying a round yellow pollen load -- G Lens Microscopist Hannah Yoder, Myles Cyrus, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Honeybee with yellow pollen on its body while visiting a ... -- IdahoSpudNut, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bee standing on a sunflower with bright yellow pollen gra... -- Alabama Extension, CC0
- Red and yellow apples growing on a tree after flowers hav... -- Opioła Jerzy (Poland), CC BY 2.5
- Bee on a cluster of pink and white apple blossoms -- Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Diagram labeling the main parts of a flower, including an... -- Audreyyhuang, CC BY 4.0
- Tomato plant showing yellow flowers and small green fruit... -- Dennis Brown, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Small wildflower meadow planted to help bees and other po... -- David Medcalf, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Insect hotel with many small holes and natural materials ... -- Sixflashphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bee standing on the central stigma of a flower where poll... -- William Herron, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bee searching for nectar inside a dahlia flower -- Sahan thathsara, CC BY-SA 4.0
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