Private Life of Plants Part 3 Birds and Bees Film

  1. Pollen grains are unique for each species of flowering plant.
  2. Grass grows 20 feet tall in Nepal. Grasses are highly successful plants.
  3. Male and female structures are generally both found in the same flower. Pollen grains are male. Ovaries are female.
  4. Pollination in many instances is accomplishes through unique relationships with animals.
  5. Proteas in Africa have red flowers to attract birds. Red flowers generally do not smell because birds can not smell.
  6. One species of African Protea flowers at night to attract a night foraging species of Bush Mouse. It has flowers dull in color and low to the ground.
  7. Durian Trees of Borneo are pollinated by night flying bats.
  8. Giant Gecko Lizards of New Zealand pollinate the Bohuta Karna tree.
  9. Black Lemurs of Madagascar pollinate the Traveler’s Palm. Male Lemurs are black and the females are brown.
  10. Insects are the most common pollinators of flowering plants.
  11. Carpenter Bees on the Cape of South Africa pollinate Gentian flowers by vibrating the pollen free.
  12. Long Tongue Hover Flies pollinate South African Iris flowers. The flower is marked with white arrows to help the fly aim its very long tongue.
  13. Red Orchids of South Africa use res flowers to attract Mountain Pride Butterflies to pollinate the flowers. Pollen is in special packets that attache to the butterfly called pollinia.
  14. South American Orchids attract male bees who use the orchids oils as perfume to attract potential mates.
  15. Tropical Fig Trees in Australia have their flowers located inside small green knobs. Female bees lay eggs on the flowers. Males and females emerge and mate. The females then leave the flowers carrying pollen with them to pollinate other flowers. The males never leave the enclosed flowers.
  16. European Orchids have flowers that look like female wasps. These attract males which pollinate the flowers as they try to mate.
  17. Western Australian Teneid wasps do the same.
  18. Dead Horse Arum flowers occur in gull colonies in the Mediterranean. The flowers look and smell like a rotting corpse which attracts Blow Flies that pollinate them. The flies are trapped over night as pollen is released on them.
  19. In Sumatra the worlds largest flower called the Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum, flowers only once in a thousand days. The flowers last for only 3 days during which they attract Sweat Bees to pollinate them. The flower is 9 feet tall and 3 feet across.