IN THE GARDEN
While less conspicuous than petalled flowers, these plants add interest in winter pollination and seed fertilisation. Trees such as birches and hazels flower from January to March, before the leaves emerge. At this time of year, they have little chance of attracting pollinators, so instead have developed wind-pollinated structures in the form of catkins. These are formed of many small, dull, petal-less flowers with no scent or nectar, but which have male pollen-producing anthers held on fine filaments, and feathery female stigmas. Male catkins are longer than the females, and tend to flower earlier. In
while searching for food, the foraging animal inadvertently pollinates the flower – a mutual relationship in which the plant and the animal gain. This isn’t the end of the story, however. Some plants encourage pollination with nectar guides – markings that help direct pollinators to the nectar source. In the case of the horse chestnut, the flowers display yellow blotches that act as nectar guides, attracting bees to the flower in their search for pollen. Once pollination has occurred, this yellow blotch turns red, a colour that bees can’t see, signalling that the flower no longer needs visitors. If the flower remains unpollinated, this yellow mark will age to red after around two days, as the nectar production decreases. Clever stuff. Clever catkins In areas where there are few pollinators, plants rely on a different mechanism for
SPRING HAS SPRUNG Delight in the flower spikes of Aesculus indica filling canopies this May (top left), the flowering cherries such as Prunus mahaleb (pictured) or the ingenuity of Populus tremula (right) with its downy catkins
78 MAY 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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