Pollination

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Pollen is the male contribution to plant reproduction. It equates to Sperm in Animals and  needs to get to the egg to complete Fertilization. This process of Pollination is necessary for most Plants to bear Fruit, Vegetables, and Seeds. The Pollen can come from the same plant in some species, and from other nearby plants in other species.

This transfer of Pollen can be made by Bees, Beetles, Flies, Moths, Wasps, Butterflies, Animals, Birds, Spiders, Wind, Lawnmowers, or your Pollination Brush. The International value of Pollination is priceless since it supports life as we know it. 

 
1- Some Blooms, like the Hibiscus shown above, may lack natural pollinators because they are less attractive than other nearby plants which bloom at the same time. Then the Insects will visit the more attractive Flowers instead.

Plants may also have been imported from a country which has natural pollinators which do not exist in your area. Some Plants are so Pollinator specific that if their Pollinator becomes extinct, so does the Plant .

2- This Solitary Bee is dusted with yellow Pollen from the Plants it has been visiting. Here it will crawl into the hole which a friendly Gardener has provided for it, and deposit Pollen or a caterpillar in the cavity. Then it will re-enter the hole tail-first to deposit an egg. When the cavity is full of eggs and food, it will seal the hole and start a new one.

3- Here a BumbleBee hangs upside-down on a Tomato Blossom, with its load of yellow Pollen. Some BumbleBees are Solitary and some have small colonies of several individuals which may share the chores of raising Brood. 

4- This Honey Bee is fanning its wings in preparation for flight after it filled its  leg "baskets" made of hair, with Pollen from nearby Flowers.

5- Here a Wasp unintentionally Pollinates a Wild Garlic Flower while searching for Nectar and tiny Insects.

6- Butterflies Pollinate Flowers as they stick their long Proboscis into the tiny Flowerlets to reach their favorite sweets. Some of these "drinking straws" are several inches long.

7- This Sphinx Moth hovers over a Butterfly Weed like a Humming Bird, while its long Proboscis darts down into the sweet secretion below. More Pollinators can be seen HERE.

If you have Plants which fail to produce Seeds or Fruit, you may opt for the easy and enjoyable art of Hand Pollination, using simple, inexpensive, and readily available supplies.
 
 

A small Artist's Brush is the Pollen transferring tool of choice. It is gently touched to the Pollen on the Anther and then touched to the Stigma, which is itself often sticky enough to hold the Pollen while the necessary components are transferred to the Egg. 

If you desire to determine which Pollen is transferred to a Stigma, then you will have to isolate the Bloom from outside sources of Pollen. A Paper Bag will accomplish this nicely. Plastic could be used, but it contributes to the growth of mold and mildew and potential loss of your experiment.

Upon fertilization, the Flower begins to form Fruit and Seeds. In the case of Apples or Tomatoes, the Seeds are inside the Fruit. In the case of Beans and Peas, the "Fruit" is the Seed. In the case of many Flowers, edible Fruit is not the goal. Instead, a Pod may contain a few or many dozens of Seeds.

If the Pollen fails to cling to your Artist's Brush,
rub the Brush briskly on man-made fabric to create Static Electricity.