At school you've probably learnt about what pollen is and does, but if you are not quite sure, we would like to remind you. And what easier way than with the lily?
Pollen, what it's all about?
Pollen; that is the orange powder on the stamen of the lily, just like you can see in the photo. It is made by the anthers of the male flowers and is actually the plant equivalent of sperm. If pollen gets on the pistil of the same sort of flower, by the wind, flying insects like bees, birds or bats, it fertilizes the flower and this can then develop into a beauty. In short, the story of the birds and the bees.
Pollen stains: this is what to do
So pollen is necessary for beautiful flowers, but there is a sting in the tail of this magical yellow/orange powder: it leaves stains! If you get pollen on your clothes, simply draw a piece of sticky tape along it, so that the pollen sticks to it. Don’t press it or rub it, but just gently dab! Double flowering lilies don’t actually have any pollen, so you can leave your sticky tape in the cupboard.
Bees and pollen
Not only flowers find pollen useful, bees love it too. For them it is a source of protein, fats and vitamins. Bees collect the pollen and store it in pollen baskets on their back legs. When they have collected enough pollen, they fly back to the beehive. They then brush the baskets empty with their legs and the baby bees can have a feed. Ingenious!
