WHAT ISPOLLINATION?

As the weather warms up, do you love seeing your favourite pollinators in the garden buzzing from flower to flower – yep, we’re talking about the bees. But do you actually know what it is that they are doing?

Every single day, insects such as bumblebees, honey bees, solitary bees, moths, butterflies and beetles are busy pollinating our plants, and it's an important process, not just for the plant world, but for us humans too. Understanding pollination is key for any gardener or outdoor enthusiast, as we can work together to create an environment where pollinators and plants can thrive.

Read on and we’ll explain all about what pollination means, how it works and why it is so important for the world we live in.

What is pollination?

In its simplest terms, pollination is the steps needed to make all those new plants and flowers we love in our gardens and vases. Taking a slightly more scientific approach, it is the transfer of pollen from the male part of a flower, called the anther, to the female part, the stigma. Once pollen reaches the stigma, it germinates and forms a pollen tube that extends down to a part of the plant called the style and then the ovary. This allows sperm cells to travel down the pollen tube and fertilise the ovules in the ovary. Once the journey is complete seeds are formed which leads to the next generation of plants, fruits, flowers and vegetables.

Here's an interesting fact for you. The pollen contains a protein which is essential for the production of new plants. Great for creating all those vegetables and flowers, not so great for setting off hayfever or allergies! If you are a hayfever sufferer, learn more about hayfever, what sets it off, how to ease the symptoms and what flowers are safe to be around.

How does pollination work?

Pollination can occur through a variety of different ways, including wind, water, and animals. Here in the UK, it is the work of insects which do most of our pollination work, although birds and bats also help out. When you see those bees, flies, butterflies, moths, wasps and beetles flying over the flowers, this lot are helping us out to create new plants.

So, how do they perform their magic? It’s all down to the flower attracting the pollinator with its beautiful colour and sweet-smelling scent. While the insects move around the flower collecting the nectar they need for food the plant takes advantage and coats their body in the pollen. If you look closely at an insect such as a solitary bee, you’ll see it has lots of hairs all over its body. It’s these hairs that the pollen sticks to.

When the pollinator moves off to visit another sweet-smelling flower, some of these pollen grains are transferred to the stigma of that flower. This transfer can happen within the same flower, between flowers on the same plant, or even between blooms on different plants of the same species.

Why are pollinators important?

Did you know there are at least 1500 species of insect pollinators in the UK and each one plays a crucial role in the reproduction of plants. According to Bug Life website, it is estimated that around 84% of crops in the EU rely on insect pollination, this equates to a value of around £12.6 billion! From apples and blueberries to strawberries, almonds and tomatoes, without pollinators it would have impact heavily on food availability on a global scale.

It doesn’t stop at crops either, insects and bees are also responsible for pollinating 80% of wildflowers – let’s be honest we all love our blooms! Add to that the crucial job they do in enabling cross-pollination between different varieties of flowers and plants. It may not sound important, but pollinators play an essential role in helping plant species adapt to meet ever-changing environments and fight diseases.

Best plants for pollinators

The problem for pollinating insects, especially bees, is that they are in a bit of trouble. We need to help them out by creating safe places to nest and flowers that provide the food they need. We can easily do our bit by creating a pollinator-friendly garden. Whether it’s a large border of blooms or a few tubs with some flowers, every little bit will lend a helping hand.

When thinking about the flowers you should plant, there are a few basics to get right. First, bees adore the colours purple, violet and blue. It’s all down to the fact they see a broader range of colours than us, so choose some bee-friendly blooms like buddleia or alliums. Flowers have also developed a clever trick of giving off a strong scent, like snapdragon and monarda, which makes them attractive to bees. You could also combine their two loves and go with the gorgeous lavender – purple and sweet smelling!

Don’t stick only to a strong scent and purple in your flowers. To keep you on your toes, sometimes blooms like sunflower, which has neither of these qualities, but is still loved by bees. What they do have is a large open flower head that makes getting to their pollen incredibly easy. So, avoid flowers with complex double petals and go for single blooms instead like dahlia and cosmos.

Last, but no means least, keep your flowers coming all year round (well, as much as you can). Choose blooms that open up during each season. For example, you could go with primrose in winter, bluebells in spring, verbena in summer and asters in autumn.

Flowers aren’t the only choice to attract pollinators, fruit and veg also play their part. For example, tomatoes are a big favourite with bees, and they have a neat trick to getting the pollen out. You see, tomatoes like to keep their pollen tightly packed in the anther, so bees clamp down on the anther and vibrate their flight muscles at exactly the right frequency required to create an explosion of pollen grains from the tip of the anther. It’s even got its own name – it’s called buzz pollination! We caught up with Andy Benson from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to learn more.

Now you know how pollination works, you can plant your own flowers, fruit and veg in the garden and let our little pollinating friends get to work.