Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Most gardeners are aware that certain plants appear to be great for pollinators. Pollination is important for the reproduction of plants, and it comes in many different ways. We often just sit and watch the spectacle unfold as we have a cup of tea in front of our shed.  Pollination is done through ABIOTIC ways: (wind movements) or through BIOTIC techniques (Mostly insects: bees, flies, butterflies, moths, beetles and birds). It makes sense that early flowering plants rely on early pollinating insects. Dandelions are a good example; they often use small native bees to do the job.    By the way, about one-third of New Zealand’s plants are wind-pollinated (think grasses and the various plants that cause hayfever).  Here’s a line-up of all sorts of pollinators in the group of insects. For the flowers pollinated by insects, especially bees, it’s interesting to note that they have different colour vision to humans. Blue, green, violet and ultra-violet are the key colours.     The blue