Sunflowers produce a lot of nectar and pollen, which attracts bees.
One Bee in the Middle and One on the Side
A Bee Eating Nectar Waiting for Other Sunflowers to Bloom
Bees on Sunflowers
Tag Archives: pollen
Uneaten Sunflowers
Some sunflowers might not be eaten by bees because they lack pollen, a critical food source for bees. In the United States, most sunflower seeds sold for ornamental purposes produce pollen-less flowers. Sunflowers grown for cut flowers are also usually sterile.
Here are images of sunflowers that have not been eaten by bees and look wholesome.
Unspoiled Sunflower
An Unadulterated Sunflower
Bees Create Designs in Sunflowers
While eating pollen in sunflowers, bees create exciting designs in the middle of flowers.
Bees Eating Nectar
Pair of Sunflowers
Bee Ate Nectar Forming a Circle
Bee Eating Nectar
Bees Starting to Eat Nectar
Pollination is the primary interaction between sunflowers and bees, forming the foundation of their symbiotic relationship. Sunflowers rely on bees for reproduction, while bees depend on sunflowers for nectar and pollen as a vital food source.
Here are images of bees starting to eat pollen.
Bee Starting to Eat Nectar
Bees Busy Eating Nectar
Pollen Dust on a Sunflower
The pollen can belong to the original plant or may come from another sunflower. Self-pollination is a mechanism that this flower uses to stay alive. … Seeds created by self-pollination will only produce flowers that look like the original plant, so no hybridization will have occurred.
Pollen Dust
Beauties of Nature
Butterflies are less efficient than bees at moving pollen between plants. Highly perched on their long thin legs, they do not pick up much pollen on their bodies and lack specialized structures for collecting it. However, they create a marvelous color combination of nature on this sunflower!
Beauties of Nature
Pollinating
The showy outer ray petals help attract the pollinators. Bees go from flower to flower within the disc, becoming covered with pollen. They then pollinate other sunflowers as they go from plant to plant. The success of sunflower as a crop for seeds and oil depends totally on bees.
Pollinating