My Lupine plant is in full bloom. I watched some bees visiting it and saw how the flowers got pollinated. Check it out.
Here is a closeup of the individual flowers. Each bloom has a lower portion that almost looks like a seat and an upper portion that looks like a half-donut. See it?
What happens when a bee lands on the flower? The lower portion is actually two separate parts. As you can see above, when I press on it with my finger, the outer portion moves down, leaving a middle piece that looks like it is coated with pollen. When the bee sits here, the outer portion moves down slightly, allowing the point with pollen to press against the bee’s bottom.
Check out the video below- maybe it will make more sense. As usual, ignore my kids’ yelling in the background!
That’s amazing. I love Lupines
That’s what I call paying attention. Excellent post. And thank you.
You and your kids would enjoy the story about the lupine lady, “Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney. Also “The Legend of the Bluebonnet” by Tomie dePaola. Both are great stories about lupines, worth a trip to the library for good summertime reading.
deb miller (retired first grade teacher)
Interesting, I’ve wondered how the pollinators get in but never taken the time to investigate.
Ha! Love the little clip and the kids yelling in the background too.
Those are big lupines. Our lupines change colors after they have been pollinated. Do yours?
Not sure- I just planted them last year after they had flowered. So far, I haven’t seen any changes though.
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that your blog post was selected for December’s Berry Go Round, a plant blog carnival! It’s been linked via my blog at The Roaming Naturalist, since I’m this month’s host. Thanks for a great article – you can see my post here: http://theroamingnaturalist.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/very-merry-berry-go-round-47/
Sincerely
Nicole, tRN
Thanks Nicole! I can’t wait to check out the other posts.
[...] helps us understand lupine pollination and even gives us a video to watch! Wah [...]