Pollen travels between flowers on the backs of bees, butterflies, and other visiting insects.

The longer version

Pollen grains are produced in huge numbers because reaching another flower is chancy. Insects visiting a bloom for nectar or pollen pick up grains on their bodies, and some of it rubs off on the next flower they visit.

Plants encourage this traffic with colour, scent, and shape, and many species have flowers built so that a visitor must brush past the pollen-bearing parts. Insects gain food, and the plant gets transport that is far more targeted than simply releasing grains into the wind. The arrangement benefits both sides. Some plants release sticky grains that cling to hairs, while others place pollen where a visitor cannot avoid it.

Where this entry sits

Plants and Trees gathers ordinary and surprising details about how green things live, from the tallest forest giants down to the moss on a garden wall. Expect notes on flowers, seeds, roots, leaves, fungi, and the quiet tricks plants use to spread and survive. The full list sits on the Plants and Trees page, where every entry is listed in order.