Bee-ing Seen in the Nature Scene

April 14, 2020

by Aaron Pflug • Kidzeum Staff

An initial wave of green washes over the fields and trees; a comforting sign that springtime is upon us. But as reassuring as all that grass and all those leaves are, they just don’t quite grab our attention like a flower in full, vibrant bloom.

And, that’s ok! In fact, for that flower, getting someone’s – or, more importantly, something’s – attention is the entire point!

For those flowers and other plants with vivid, colorful petals, the attraction of an appropriate insect or bird (pollinator) is vital to the process of cross-pollination. To reproduce – and subsequently survive – these plants need pollinators to land them, collect bits of pollen, and then be attracted to and land on another plant of the same species to deposit the previously collected pollen!

Since these flowers can’t travel themselves to pollinators (or other plants), they do everything they can to stand out in the crowd. So, don’t worry too much about getting distracted by the next brilliant bloom you find, it’s only natural!

Of course, around the Kidzeum of Health and Science, using the word pollinator immediately brings to mind bees!

Bees, including everyone’s favorite, the honeybee, are such incredible pollinators because so many bees and so much activity in each hive, combined with a desire to collect pollen (not just nectar), results in lots of cross-pollination!

Between the role they play in keeping the beautiful flowers blooming and the production of sweet, tasty honey, some of those little bees are playing quite a role in improving our quality of life!

So, the next time you and your explorer(s) are enthralled by a brilliant bloom, take a moment to enjoy the beauty, but take another moment to appreciate the how and why!

And, keep an eye out over the coming weeks for further exploration of blooms and bees…and birds and butterflies…er…

Keep an eye out for stuff about Bees, Birds, Butterflies, and Blooms!