Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Birds and the Bees! Another good reason for organic gardening!

Pollinating is the busy work of bees and birds...love gone wild!
http://www.sfsu.edu/~news/2008/spring/images/27.jpgBee Pollination

Bees are the most productive pollinators because they intentionally collect pollen for their larva. Their legs have bristles that act as a pollen brush, with the first two pairs of legs brushing pollen from their hairy body and the third pair forming a pollen comb that collects pollen from bristles. The comb forces pollen into the pollen baskets on the legs. Bees have a sucking tongue (shorter than the butterflies and moths) that sips nectar, which the bees regurgitate into honey, which is food for the rest of the hive.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/4hplantandsoils/images/Pollination%20photos/Humming_flowers.jpg
Hummingbird contributions to the garden.

Hummingbird pollinated flowers have a tendency to produce a certain amount of nectar that is drained by the birds. After the bird leaves to hunt for more nectar, the flowers will refill with more nectar, to encourage multiple opportunities to attract more birds and successful pollination.

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