Nature explained with sources and context

Menu

Living world

Explore the living world

Animals · Animalia Plants · Plantae Fungi · Fungi Microorganisms

Ways to discover

Flowers Browse habitats All experiences

Featured species

Connect species profiles with flowers, habitats and experiences. The microscopic world brings together different scales and organisms, not a single kingdom. Enders's small-eared shrew

Habitats

Land and relief

All habitats Land and landscapes

Water and coasts

Water and coasts Soil, caves and cities

Featured habitats

From underground to the city, with a guide to observing nearby nature. Temperate forest

Observe

Field guides

Learn to notice nature Field observation guides Tracks and signs Nature at night Seasons and natural changes Everyday nature

Observation tools

Compare profiles Nature sounds

A reading to get started

Morphology of the floral receptacle in Asteraceae: a guide to observing heads

Magazine

Stories and science

All articles Garden and care Discoveries Features Natural history Questions and answers

Understanding life

Flowers and pollinators Mycology Behaviour and communication Botany Microscopic world Evolution and adaptations Life in extreme environments

Nature and society

Conservation and restoration Citizen science Morphology of the floral receptacle in Asteraceae: a guide to observing heads

Experiences

Experiences

All experiences Sizes and scales Microscopic world and cells

Explore further

Plants, leaves and seeds Perception, journeys and change

Microscopic world and cells

Explore sizes, structures and relationships through the integrated experiences. Each journey retains its context and limitations. Microscopic world and cells

Magazine

Flowers and pollinators

Relationships among flowers, insects and other animals, explained in context.

18

All articles Flowers and pollinators Mycology Behaviour and communication Botany Conservation and restoration Discoveries Features Natural history Questions and answers Field observation guides Microscopic world Tracks and signs Nature at night Seasons and natural changes Evolution and adaptations Life in extreme environments Everyday nature Citizen science

Magazine

Flowers and pollinators

Buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on a red flower.

Documentary photograph Photo by Alvesgaspar Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 resized and converted to WebP

Relationships between species · 3 min

The invisible conversation between flowers, insects and birds

Nectar, pollen, fruit and seeds connect stories that at first seem independent.

Documentary photograph: What Happens During an Insect’s Visit to a Flower

Documentary photograph Photo by Roo72 Source: wikimedia_commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Explanation · 2 min

How a Floral Visit Can Transport Pollen

A visit to a flower can set pollen transport in motion: an animal picks it up while seeking resources and may carry it to other flowers. The evidence supports explaining this general principle, but not reconstructing the exact contact between any visitor and any flower.