The Daffodil 



sun has waked with the Daffodils, though some- 

 times some of the wild bees, particularly the 

 genus Andrena, visit them. The pale yellow blooms 

 shine out well, too, at night, and attract the early- 

 season moths. 



Now, there are six tall stamens in a Daffodil in 

 the floral tube, and their pairs of pollen boxes open 

 towards the centre. The seed-case is outside the 

 flower, below the yellow perianth, but somewhat 

 protected by the dry brown scale that once enfolded 

 the bud. From the top of the case rises up through 

 the flower a long, firm column which passes beyond 

 the stamens and out into the open. On it the bees 

 and moths mostly aUght, and thus at once cover it 

 with any pollen they may be carrying. Between it 

 and the stamens they push down to the honey, and 

 thus they unconsciously renew their dusty coat of 

 pollen from the inward-opening stamens. Some- 

 times, it is true, they prefer to balance themselves 

 on the crown rather than on the ovary column, but 

 even then they cannot help carrying away the 



