PLANT REPRODUCTION: POLLINATION

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamens of one flower to the stigma of the same or of another flower.
Some plants have very beautiful flowers.
They attract insects which land on the flowers.
Pollen sticks to the insects.
The insects carry the pollen to other flowers.
Other plants are not so attractive to insects.
They produce a lot of pollen grains, which the wind carries to the stigmas of other flowers.

Bee collecting pollen. Photo by Jon Sullivan, in PDPhoto.org

PLANT REPRODUCTION: FLOWERS

The plant's reproductive organs are in the flowers.
Flowers have four main parts:

• Tha calyx. This is made up of small green leaves called sepals. Sepals protect the flower.
• The corolla. This is made up of coloured leaves called petals.
• The stamens. These are the male parts of the flower. They produce pollen.
• The pistil. This is the female part of the flower. It is shaped like a bottle. It consists of the stigma, the style and the ovary.