Forget-me-not

 

Forget-me-not (Myosotis)

This is not the clearest of photographs, but it does show some flowers with yellow centres, indicating that they still have nectar, and some flowers whose centres have turned white.

These pretty flowers, usually dressed in blue, but sometimes appearing in pink or white, flower for a few weeks in the spring. They are dying back now, to reappear next year, without fuss or special care.

The yellow centres indicate that the flowers are full of nectar. When the flower has been pollinated, the centres turn white. This indicates to bees and other pollinators, that the flowers are no longer offering nectar, the food they are seeking. The cupboard is bare, and they should look elsewhere.

 A podcast from the BBC, ‘In Our Time,’ hosted by a rather elderly-sounding Melvyn Bragg (he’s now 85) gives a detailed account of pollination. The programme lasts for fifty minutes, but all the contributors are experts, and so are fascinating to listen to.

Did you know that bees can count, and recognise images of human faces?