When you walk through a garden or a park in summer, you might see bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering, and hummingbirds zipping from flower to flower. They aren’t just looking for food, they’re pollinating, which means helping flowers make seeds and fruit.
Let’s see how each one does the job:
Bees
Bees visit flowers to drink sweet nectar and collect pollen.
As they land, pollen sticks to the tiny hairs on their bodies.
When they visit the next flower, some pollen brushes off onto that flower’s sticky stigma (the part that catches pollen).
This pollen transfer helps the plant make seeds.
Fun Fact: A single bee can visit 5,000 flowers in one day!
Butterflies
Butterflies use their long, straw-like tongue (proboscis) to sip nectar.
Their legs and bodies brush against the flower’s pollen while they feed.
They often move between different flowers, spreading pollen over wide areas.
Fun Fact: Butterflies are attracted to bright colors like red, orange, pink, and purple.
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds feed by hovering and sipping nectar with their long, thin beaks.
While they reach deep into the flower, pollen dusts their heads and beaks.
They zoom to the next flower, carrying the pollen with them.
Fun Fact: A hummingbird’s wings can beat more than 50 times per second.
How to track pollinators
Pick a flower patch in a garden or park: Find a safe spot with blooming flowers.
Watch closely: For 10–15 minutes, see who visits.
Write or draw: Record whether you saw a bee, butterfly, or hummingbird, and what kind of flower they liked.
Why pollination matters
Pollinators are some of the most important helpers in nature. Without them, many plants would not be able to make seeds, fruits, or vegetables. This means fewer apples, strawberries, tomatoes, and other foods we eat every day.
When a bee, butterfly, or hummingbird moves pollen from one flower to another, they are planting the seeds for the plant’s future. They help flowers grow into fruits, vegetables, and new plants that feed animals, people, and other living things.
Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are often called “nature’s gardeners” because they keep ecosystems healthy.
