DEPARTMENT OF NATURE STUDY 



Prlif<-.r I Prof. William L. Powers, 



BEES AND BIRDS AS BUILDERS OF BLOSSOMS. 

 By John H. Lovell. 



So intimately do flowers enter into every phase of life, and so 

 eloquently do they express every emotion, that it was long believed 

 that their bright colors, sweet odors and varied forms were created 

 solely for the benefit of man. ''There was no particular reason why 

 the earth at the time of Adam should have literally been strewn with 

 blossoms," once wrote a well-known author, "there was only one 

 man to see them." It occurred to no one that their beautiful hues 

 might be useful to the plants them selves. But the wild flowers would 

 have been not one whit different today, had the appearance of man- 

 kind been deferred to some far distant future. 



For the development of conspicuous flowers with brilliant colors 

 we are indebted to insects. Bees, especially, have been the humble, 

 unconscious agents in producing results which have profoundly 

 affected the welfare of modern civilization. As regards appearance, 

 flowers may be divided into two great groups. The grasses and 

 sedges ; many hardw^ood trees and shrubs, as the alders, birches, 

 poplars, elms, oaks and beeches ; and many homely weeds, as the 

 pigweeds, sorrels, ragweeds, docks and pondweeds, produce only 

 small green or dull-colored flowers pollinated by the wind. Most 

 people never know that these plants bloom at all. But the pinks, 

 buttercups, clovers, gentians, roses, orchids and lilies are known of 

 all men. They are pollinated by insects ; and the allurements they 

 offer to attract their visits are happily an endless source of pleasure 

 to mankind. 



The primitive flowers were all wind-pollinated. They were small, 

 regular in form, without bright colors and for the most part odorless. 

 Insects searching for food were at first attracted by the abundant 

 store of pollen, a substance which is rich in proteids. Bees, flies 

 and beetles today often gather pollen from wind-pollinated flowers, 

 as the poplars, elms, hickories and ragweeds. The next step was 

 the production of nectar. As nectar is secreted by the leaves of 

 many plants, and the organs of the flower are only modified leaves, 

 it would be very likely to occur in a few flowers. Insects were at 

 once attracted in much larger numbers, and flowers secreting nectar 

 possessed a great advantage over those which were devoid of it. 

 For the same reason bright colors and alluring odors were in time 

 developed. 



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