A main part of the plant life cycle is reproduction. This is how plants make new plants and it is possible because of something called pollination!
During pollination, a pollinator (like a bee!) visits a flower. Pollen from the flower sticks to the bee’s body and moves with it to the next flower it visits. Here, the pollen makes seeds to grow more plants!
Pollen is made in the male part of the flower (anther). When it lands on the female part of the flower (stigma), it travels down the pollen tube to create seeds. Can you find these parts in the picture?
Bees, butterflies, birds, or even things like the wind or rain can act as pollinators. They help us grow the fruits, vegetables, and flowers that we enjoy and need! Having lots of pollinators around can even make fruits bigger and give us more natural foods to eat.
THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Bee numbers are getting smaller because of problems like too many pesticides being used.
Imagine a world without bees. How do you think this would affect our plants, food, animals, and climate?