Raven lays a printed table across the Windowsill. Each row names a pollinator and describes the flowers it visits.
"Bee, butterfly, moth, bat, bird, wind," Rocket reads down the first column. "Six rows."
"What do you notice about the time of day column?" Raven asks.
Rocket runs his finger down it. "Day, day, night, night, day, any time. The night flowers are all pale."
Nova hovers over the scent column. "And look who gets no scent at all," she says.
"Birds and wind," Rocket says. "Birds do not need a smell. Wind cannot smell." Raven grins. "Now read every row."
The free textbook Biology 2e has a chapter on pollination. This table gathers what it says about six pollinators.
Each row is a kind of visitor and the flower features that suit it. Read the bee row first, then compare the others to it.
| Pollinator | Flower color | Scent | Time open | Shape or other feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bees | blue, yellow and others, not red | strong | day | tube shaped, with nectar guides only bees can see |
| Butterflies | bright | strong | day | grow in clusters, nectar guides |
| Moths | pale or white | yes | late afternoon and night | flat, so the moth can land |
| Bats | white or pale | strong, fruity or musky | night | large and wide-mouthed, lots of nectar |
| Hummingbirds | bright | none | day | sturdy, curved tube for a beak |
| Wind | green, small | none | any time | little or no petals, no nectar, huge amounts of light pollen |
Every row shows a match. The flower's structures fit the visitor's senses and body, and the visitor carries pollen in return for food.
Scientists put it this way: plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features.
A nectar guide is a pattern on the petals that only bees can see. It leads the bee to the center, making pollination more efficient.
The textbook also warns that if honeybees disappear, many flowers will remain unpollinated and will not bear seed.
That is why the United States Department of Agriculture runs a bee research laboratory that studies honey bee health.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Butterfly flowers are usually bright, scented and open by day. | ? |
| Bat-pollinated flowers are small and red. | ? |
| Wind-pollinated flowers make large amounts of light pollen. | ? |
| If honeybees disappeared, every flower would still make seeds. | ? |
Excellent table reading. Tomorrow you turn to animals: nests, groups, songs and bright feathers.