Tag: pollination

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How does pollination work? A step-by-step guide to pollination and the plant life cycle

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In this post, we will take a closer look at the steps of animal pollination and the plant life cycle. You might already know that pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen to the carpel of a flowering plant (psst – brush up on your plant anatomy by reading my flower anatomy post or checking out my Flowers Unit!). Once pollinated, the plant forms a fruit. Fruits contain seeds, which will grow into the next generation of plants.

A variety of animals can be pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and many others that may surprise you. The relationship between a pollinator and a plant is key to the survival of both species. This relationship is so important to both the plant and the pollinator that it influences how they evolve. In other words, plants and pollinators coevolved. Plant species developed traits to help them attract pollinators, such as brightly colored petals, sweet nectars, and strong scents. As pollinator species grew reliant on nectar as a food source, they developed body parts and habits for collecting flower nectar more efficiently.

Before we dive in: If you’re an educator planning to teach pollination in your classroom, great activities are key to deepening understanding! I think you and your students will love my Pollination Unit, which is also found within my Botany Collection (plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase! ❤️)

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Now, let’s take a look at the steps of pollination and the plant life cycle!

Step 1: Attracting pollinators

A flower attracts a pollinator with fragrances, nectar, and brightly-colored petals. Pollen from the flower’s stamen attaches to the pollinator.

A pollinator visiting a flower.

Step 2: Pollen transfer

The pollinator travels to another flower of the same species.

A pollinator traveling between flowers of the same species.

Step 3: Pollination

The pollinator tracks pollen from the first flower onto the stigma (tip) of the second flower’s carpel. Pollen travels via the style to the flower’s ovary.

The pollinator transfers the pollen to a second flower.

Step 4: Fruit growth

 After receiving pollen, a fruit or seed pod begins to grow from the ovary of the flower. Many of the flower parts wilt and fall off as the fruit/seed pod grows.

A fruit starts to form from the flower’s ovary.

Step 5: Seed dispersal

The seed pod or fruit develops. Once the fruit is ripe, the plant must disperse its seeds. At this point, some plants rely on another animal (separate from the pollinator) to help with seed dispersal. After the animal eats the fruit, it travels away from the parent plant and deposits the seeds in its scat. However, many plants do not rely on animals for seed dispersal. Alternative methods for seed dispersal utilize forces such as wind, water, and gravity.

Almost ready for seed dispersal.

Step 6: Germination and growth

After seed dispersal, seeds will germinate (or sprout) into tiny plants. The luckiest of the tiny plants will grow and reach maturity. Once mature, the plants make flowers of their own to attract pollinators, and the cycle begins again!

Germination process.

Teaching Pollination and Plant Life Cycles

Are you teaching pollination in your classroom? Here are some additional activity ideas and resources!

1. Try my free pollinator guessing game in your classroom:

Directions and cards for a pollinator guessing game are available on the free resources page of my website. My email subscribers gain access to the free resources page (plus receive my newsletters with new activity ideas, project guides, and science teaching inspiration!).

2. Read my post about weird and wild pollinators!

3. Check out my list of pollinator activity ideas for classrooms!

4. Try the flower anatomy activity in this blog post:

5. Study pollination with Wild Earth Lab!

Your students will love my Pollination Unit and other science units! I created this set of printable pollination learning materials and it is packed with activities and information, as well as my pollination artwork!

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Here are some more units that I think you’ll love:

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Are you interested in reading more posts about environmental science topics? Subscribe or follow Wild Earth Lab using the links below!

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Which animals pollinate? Common pollinators plus a few that will surprise you!

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Pollinators are animals that transfer pollen between flowers. Many pollinators are insects, such as bees. However, birds, mammals, and a variety of other animals can also be pollinators! Pollinators are key members of most terrestrial (on-land) ecosystems. Pollinated plants produce food that feeds other members of the ecosystem. Pollinators also help humans because they pollinate many of our food crops. For example, a tomato could not form from a tomato plant’s flower without being pollinated by a bee.

Plants and pollinators have symbiotic relationships – long-lasting, close relationships between two living beings. A pollinator and a plant have a specific type of symbiotic relationship called mutualism, in which the relationship benefits everyone involved. The pollinator gets a tasty meal of nectar. The plant gets pollinated so it can make seeds. It’s a win-win!

In this post, we’ll take a look at the different types of animals that pollinate plants. But first…

A note for teachers: are you teaching pollination? I think you and your students will love the hands-on activities and thoughtfully crafted visuals in my comprehensive Pollination Unit! It includes all the activities, handouts, worksheets, and diagrams you’ll need for teaching pollination. I hope you love it!

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Bees & Wasps

The European honey bee or

Although there are many different animal pollinators, bees (especially honeybees) are usually considered the most important pollinator due to their key role in many ecosystems and their ability to pollinate a wide variety of different plants, including many food crops. Bees rely on flowers as their food source – they fly from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen.

There are many types of bees that pollinate, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees. Surprisingly, wasps are also sometimes pollinators. That’s right – while wasps are often thought of as being unfriendly pests, they actually play very important roles in their ecosystems!

Butterflies & Moths

Photo by Erik Karits on Pexels.com

Butterflies drink nectar through a long proboscis – a straw-like mouth part that can reach deeply into flowers. Consequently, butterflies often pollinate deeply tube-shaped flowers. They are attracted to colorful, clustered flowers that are open in the daytime.

On the other hand, nocturnal moths pollinate night-time opening flowers. Moths also have long proboscises and can reach into deeply tubular flowers like their butterfly relatives. In fact, certain moths can have astoundingly long proboscises, such as Darwin’s hawkmoth.

As the tale goes, Charles Darwin came across a species of orchid flower in Madagascar that holds nectar at the end of a foot-long tube. Darwin hypothesized that a species of butterfly or moth with a foot-long proboscis must exist in order to drink nectar and pollinate this flower. Some laughed at this idea, but many years later, scientists identified a species of hawkmoth in Madagascar with a foot-long proboscis, just as Darwin predicted!

More insect pollinators: beetles, ants, & beyond!

Bees, wasps, butterflies, and moths are just four of the many insects that pollinate plants. Some flies are also pollinators, as are some beetles and ants! Many of these insects inadvertently pollinate flowers as they crawl across them, picking up pollen on their bodies.

Birds

brown hummingbird selective focus photography
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Hummingbirds are by far the most common and well-known bird that pollinates. They drink nectar through their long beaks and can pollinate tube-shaped flowers, just like butterflies. It is well known that hummingbirds especially love red flowers. You may see people hanging red plastic hummingbird feeders in their yards, designed to attract these adorable pollinators. Hummingbirds are even known to fly directly into people wearing red, mistaking their clothing for a cluster of tasty red flowers.

In certain ecosystems, other types of birds such as parrots may also sometimes pollinate.

Bats

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Did you know that bats can be pollinators? While bats are best known for their ability to catch and eat insects using echolocation, some bats prefer eating fruit and flower nectar. Bats are nocturnal and pollinate at night, like moths. But as some of the largest pollinators, bats usually prefer bigger flowers that produce larger volumes of nectar. Agave, bananas, and some cacti are all popular among bats!

Even more unusual pollinators

black brown and white animal on tree
Photo by Alexander Dummer on Pexels.com

The list does not stop here! There are many more unique pollinators out there. Some reptiles pollinate. As do some slugs. Even a variety of mammals, such as some lemurs and sugar gliders, are known to pollinate plants in their ecosystems. There is certainly no shortage in the diversity of pollinators found around the world!

Try this free pollinator game for your classroom…

Are you looking to teach your students about the diversity of pollinators? Here’s a game you can try in your classroom! Print out pictures of a variety of pollinators and tape them to students’ backs. Tell students that all the animals on their backs can pollinate plants. Then, instruct the students to ask each other yes/no questions about the animals on their backs until they can guess them correctly.

Freebie: for this game, I’ve put together 18 printable pollinator cards, plus directions. Click here to download the free cards and game!

Support Wild Earth Lab with a curriculum purchase?

Teaching pollination? Your students will love my Pollination Unit! I created this set of printable pollination learning materials, and it is packed with activities and information, as well as my pollination artwork!

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References and Further Reading

  1. California Academy of Sciences (n.d.). Darwin’s Hawk Moth. Available: https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/darwin%E2%80%99s-hawkmoth
  2. Houston Zoo (2018). Unusual Pollinators and the Plants They Love. Available: https://www.houstonzoo.org/blog/unusual-pollinators-plants-love/
  3. Mize, A. (2018). Lizards, mice, bats, and other vertebrates are important pollinators too. The Ecological Society of America. Available: https://www.esa.org/blog/2018/04/04/vertebrate-polinator-metaanalysis/
  4. USDA Forest Service (n.d.). Unusual Animal Pollinators. Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/unusual.shtml
  5. USDA Forest Service (n.d.). Who are the pollinators? Available: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/animals/index.shtml

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