160 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
has enough nectar to carry back to the hive. If the first 
flower which it visits when it starts to gather a load of 
nectar is a buttercup, then it continues to go from one 
buttercup to another. So the buttercup pollen is not 
wasted on flowers which cannot use it.” 
“How does the bee know a buttercup when it sees it?” 
Buddy asked. 
“How do you know a buttercup when you see it?” 
Uncle Jack, smilingly, asked in reply. 
Buddy did not answer until he thought for a little 
while. He knew that the bright yellow color of the flow¬ 
ers helped him to find them and know that they were 
buttercups. He also knew that there are flowers which 
are yellow, but they are not the shape and size of butter¬ 
cups. He finally replied, “The color of the buttercups 
helps me to know that they are buttercups, but I might 
make a mistake if they were like some other flowers in 
size and shape.” 
“That is probably the way the bees know them,” Uncle 
Jack added. 
“But there are some flowers that are so small and 
have such little color you can hardly see them,” Marylee 
objected. 
“That is true,” Uncle Jack agreed, “but most of those 
flowers have a strong perfume instead of large size and 
bright colors. The perfume helps the bees to find and 
know them.” 
“I think it is very wonderful the way the flowers coax 
the bees to help them to get the pollen for their baby 
seeds,” Marylee said thoughtfully. 
