Pollination and seed spreading
Lots of plants rely on insects like bees to reproduce.
To make a seed, a flower needs to be pollinated. This means that pollen from one flower needs to travel to another. Bees are very important for carrying the pollen between flowers.
Bees help plants to reproduce and this is really important for all living things on our planet. To encourage bees to visit them, flowers have colourful petals and an attractive scent. Some flowers give the bees a sugary reward called nectar too.
When pollen has moved from one flower to another, the flower that loses pollen will start to die. It no longer needs its colourful petals, scent or nectar. But before it dies, the flower will produce seeds.
We use many of these seeds, like corn and oats, to make foods like bread and breakfast cereal.
Some seeds are surrounded by fruit, such as apples, plums and pears which we grow and eat.
Plants spread their seeds in lots of different ways. This is called seed dispersal. Some seeds are transported by the wind and are shaped to float, glide or spin through the air.
However a seed is spread, it will germinate and grow into a new plant when the conditions are right.
Test your knowledge of pollination and seed spreading with the activities below.
Which of these plants, or products of plants, would be best at attracting bees? Explain your answer with three reasons.
