Buzzing the Breaks
Keystone campus has a wide variety of plants on both native and exotic species. Flowering of these during their season is beautiful to admire and soothing to the eyes. I happened to see the Oxyeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) in flower while strolling down the campus after lunch. It belongs to the Astereaceae (Aster) family. The […]
Bee Vision
Karl von Frisch, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, proved that bees can see colour. Humans are able to see so many colours due to something called trichromatic vision. This means that we can see several combinations of red, blue and green. Bees have trichromatic vision as well, only, they can see combinations of green, blue and […]
Lesser Known Pollinators of the World
The most common pollinators discussed are generally bees and butterflies. While they are major pollinators, it is important to consider other pollinators that are also vital to different ecosystems. While bees contribute in a big way to crop production and plant reproduction, other pollinators, like birds, are crucial in their own ways. In fact, there […]
Bees
ORDER: Hymenoptera FAMILY: Apidae Bees are primary pollinators and are responsible for almost 60% of the pollination that takes place. This family includes the truly social honeybees, solitary and kleptoparasitic bees (parasitizing other bee nests by laying their eggs in host bee nests). The social honey bees are well known as pollinators as they […]
Flies
ORDER: Diptera FAMILY: Syrphidae Episyrphus spp. Syrphus spp. Melanostoma spp. Spherophoria spp Common names: Hover flies, Flower flies Hover flies get their name from their behavior of hovering in the air as they forage on flowers for nectar. Hover flies are important pollinators of wild flowering plants as well agricultural crops and […]
Butterflies
India has one of the richest and most diverse butterfly faunas in the world due to its varied climate and topography. Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishment from pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, decaying flesh, and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. Flower constancy has been observed for […]
About Pollinating Agents
Pollination is the process of transfer of pollen from the anthers (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part) of the flower through which fertilization is achieved. Pollination is a vital step in reproduction of flowering plants to obtain viable seeds. Methods of Pollination Self Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther […]
Pollination
Pollination is the process of transfer of pollen from the anthers (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part) of the flower through which fertilization is achieved. Pollination is a vital step in reproduction of flowering plants to obtain viable seeds. Methods of Pollination Self Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther […]