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Some Plants and Their Pollinators

Flowers Pollinated by Beetles

Flowers are dull-colored or white, have sour or fruity odors, and have heavily protected ovules. A couple of examples include:

Flowers Pollinated by Bees

Typically conspicuous and usually bright blue or yellow, never completely red. They frequently have "honey guides"-special patterns or markings that guide the visiting bees to the nectar within. Examples include:

Flowers Pollinated by Butterflies and Moths

Similar to bee flowers, mainly because both groups are guided to flowers by a combination of sight and smell. Some species of butterflies, however, are able to perceive red as a distinct color, and the flowers they favor are red and orange. The nectary of a moth or butterfly flower is often located at the base of a long, slender corolla tube or a spur and is usually accessible only to the long sucking mouthparts of these insects. Examples include:

Flowers Pollinated by Hummingbirds

Typically contain large quantities of thin nectar rich in carbohydrates. Because hummingbirds have a poor sense of smell but an excellent sense of sight, the flowers they visit have little odor and are red or yellow. Examples include:

Flowers Pollinated by Bats

Large, sturdy, dull-colored, and "fruity" scented, and contain large amounts of nectar. Bat pollination occurs mostly in tropical areas. Examples include:

Flowers Pollinated by Wind

Usually have exposed stamens (which hold the pollen-bearing anthers) and correspondingly small, reduced, or entirely absent sepals and petals, and they are produced before the leaves. The stamens typically hold large amounts of pollen. The following list includes families of plants that are entirely or predominantly wind pollinated:

Flowers Pollinated by Water

Flowers of water-pollinated plants tend to be rather small and inconspicuous. This type of pollination is thought to be an advanced feature among angiosperms.