Surely such delightful scents and sights didn't evolve just to please human senses. A new exhibit, the Pollinarium, will help visitors explore these questions. Unlike the usual collection of animals grouped by species or geographical origin, the Pollinarium will focus on the intricate series of events that takes place when flowering plants reproduce.
Plant reproduction is woven into a web that includes wind, water, and animals.
The Pollinarium offers visitors a look at some of these relationships. Visitors will feel as though they have walked into a hive as they watch bees build their comb, care for their young, and produce honey. Visitors can also observe the mechanics of pollination by maneuvering a large model of a bee into an equally large flower. They can investigate insect vision, seeing flowers the way insects see them, within the ultraviolet range of the light spectrum. Visitors can also explore unusual examples of co-evolution of plants and their pollinators.