Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-04-16

Strange Devices by Which Flowers
Attract insect vls;fora

h'trnct tHstct tisftOrS.
No side OF natural history Is more
curious than the relation between in
sec's and the Towering OF plants. Ia the
primitive and simpler plants that live in
he sea, the male cells are discharged into
the water and row themselves along by
he screwing motion OF minute bristies
until they reach and fertiize the egg
cells OF the female. In many land. plants
The male cell, discharged as clouds OF
golden pollen, are blown about by the
wind; myrisds perish, but few reach
their goal and fertiiize the young egg
cells, cause them to ripen into seeds.
In most cases, however, Nature has
curbed so reckless prodigaIity, and the
colors and scents OF flowers are fruits OF
her parsimony. 1t may be laid down as a
universal truth, to which the exceptions
are only apparent, that plants bearing
brightly colored or perfumed flowers re-
quire the aid Of insects to fertiiize them.
OF insects; the scents, especially in flowers
that blossom by night, serve the same
purpose. The insects come for the store
OF honey or for the pollen OF the plants,
and their return-gift to the plant is that,
fitting from blossom to blossom, they
unconsciously carry the golden fertilizing
ing grains from plant to plant.
For most Towering plants the visits Of
insects are necessity. Let one but grow
some common plant, like gersnium or
mtgnonette, under glass and muslin, SO
that no stray insect may reach them; the
flowers will be formed, the perfume will
be as sweet as usual, but the blossoms will
fade without forming seeds. Many of
our English flowers are capable Of being
fertilized only by one kind of insect.
Thus, to choose a familiar instance, the
common red clover Is visited by the
nmble- bee; the petals are fused toget her,
forming narrow tube surrounding the
honey glands and the organs that form
the pollen. The long proboscis Of the
humbIe- bee Is able to reach the deeply
hidden stores, but the hive-bee, whose
tongue Is shorter, though hidden to the
feast by attractive color and smell, is per-
force an inactive spectator. When clover
was first grown in Australia 1t never
seeded, and 1t was found that the tongues
OF the native bees were too short to reach
the pollen. Still more often the gorgeous
blossoms OF The tropics remain sterile Ia
England In the absence of the particular
moth or fly to which they are adapted.
me,imes, rs Darwin showed In his
fascinating volume on "The Fertilization
OF the Orchids" the devices to secure that
an insect shall not visit a flower without
coming In contact with the pollen are
extraordinarily complicated. An insect
aiights on a gaudy and sweet-smelliDg
blossom. An inviting landing place Is
ready In the form OF a conveniently
placed floral leaf; but the thing is trick.
No sooner is the platform touched than 1t
gives way with a jerk, precipitating the
ha pless insect into a well of fluid. His
wings are wetted, and he has to crawl
out slowly. But the pointed bristles pre-
vent exit except by narrow funnel, and,
as he squeszes through that, his back be-
comes busted with the sticky pollen.
In most plants, however, the lures are
simpler, and are adapted to many differ
ent kinds Of insects. In spring, when the
fields are bare, the blues and whites OF the
early flowers are sufficient to attract the
notice OF the few insects on the wing.
During summer, when the world Is COW
cred with green, more glazing contrasts
come into play, and the bold masses OF
orange and gold, OF crimson and pink,
appear. II Is curious, however, that
scarlet, the most CLAIMANT OF coiors, Is the
rsrest In Europe. In the tropics and in
South America 1t Is one Of the most COM
mon, and 1t were worth inquiring II Euro
pean insects be color blind to scarlet. At
night, when crimson aud blue, pink and
orange, become invisible, pale yellows and
luminous whites attract the night flying
insects by their phospborescent radiance.
The scents OF plants are almost more po-
tent lures than their coIors. At night they
are naturally more varied and more po-
tent. To drift In a back water In sum-
mer night, or to loiter in wood, Is to set
one dreaming the spices OF the tropic
isies. The scents OF the day are shy and
indistinct; only In the mass one notices
them, as In passing through bean field,
or by thicket OF gorse. But at night
each blossom that Is not asleep sends out
a clamorous and insistant odor, and at
the same moment one notices dozen
distiuc, and striking perfumes.
But. by day or by night, the scents are
not all such as are pleasant to US. Some,
indeed, are not even within our conscious
ness. Thus the flowers Of the Virginian
creeper are almost invisible; they have
green coroIlas and are hidden under the
foliage. To us they have no scent, yet
bees come to them from great distances,
and during their season they are always
crowded with visitors. Some OF the scents
most dear to us are despised by many
insects. Butterflies will pass honey
suckle itself, or, indeed, any flower with
honeysuckle scent, unnoticed. AT
night, however, large hawk-moths, by