Nectar-guides

Pollination can be a reward-based behavior exhibited by insects, birds and bats. The reward is often buried beneath the anthers and pistils. Those are the pollen producing and pollen receiving surfaces within the floral envelope. Rewards may be nectar or pollen, or both. Many flowers produce a roadmap of markings, colours, or scents to draw in particular suites of pollinators. These collectively may be called nectar guides or floral guides.

Colours seen by bees will differ from those seen by us. For one thing bees cannot see red. Sometimes the guides are spots, stripes, either translucent  or solid. See some of the variety of nectar guides may be seen in these images. Nectar-guides are visual clues. Plants use olefactory clues as well. Scent draws pollinators.

The flowers of mountain-ash exude a disagreeable odour when they are expanded. The smell has been described as resembling meat that has rotted. The tree or shrub is sending out an olfactory message to carrion flies that visit rotting meat. 

Even humans who lean over to smell the roses, are pollinators. How many times have you received pollen on your nose. When you sniff the next flower, chances are you pollinated it!

Wood-sorrel, Oxalis montana, photo by David Mazerolle

Milkweed, Asclepias , photo by Martin Thomas

Canada Lily, Lilium canadense, photo by Martin Thomas