The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1908-05-08
FLOWER WEDDINGS.
How the Insects Are Lured and the
Parts They Play.

FdTts IneJ ray
The tulip as a coy lover and the wild
arum as deceiver and murderer were
among some highly interesting exam.
pies of little known phases of plant and
flower life described by Professor Bot
tomley, M. A., in recent lecture al
the botanic gardens. Professor Bot.
tomley, who is professor of botany al
Kings college. entitled his lecture "Va
rious Marriage Customs of Plant Life .
He explained how flowers entice In.
sects into their service in order to get
married and so propagate their spe.
cies. Most flowers are dependent for
their fertilization upon insects, and SC
the plants develop In such a way as to
attract the custom of members of the
insect world.
The first means of attracting insects
said Professor Bottomley. was a very
human one and consisted of providing
free drinks. Every flower has secreted
somewhere about it large or small
store of honey. to which the insect. be II
nudge or butterfly is attracted. But
as an additional attraction flowers de.
velop beautiful scent or fascinating
appearance so as to attract the insects
attention.
1t is also interesting to note that the
simple flowers are married by simple
insects. mere curates. as the lecturer
described them. while the more elab'
crate flowers require more highly de-
veloped insects, such as bees or butter
f1ies-bishops.
Since the poor flower cannot &c
a-wooing itself and must be dependent
upon the kindly errands of insects, II
not only renders itself attractive to
those messengers of love, but provides
them with comforts in the form OF
convenient resting places, some orchids
even providing a little stool upon which
bees may sit and sip the honey.
OF course the whole object of attract
ing insects is to make them bear the
pollen powder from one plant to an
other, the introduction of the pollen
making the fertilization of the seeds
possible.
All are 81 hhaN " hA'S
the insects they attract are drinking
their honey the pollen powder is either
being scattered over their bodies to be
taken to another plant or the pollen
already scattered on the insect Is being
swept off by the stigmas of the seed
boxes. 1t is also interesting to notice
that those plants which attract moths,
which are night flying insects. are near.
~ always white and highly scented
The pollen Of a plant is most jealous.
ly guarded. That is why many flowers
close their petals on dull days, the idea
being to keep the pollen from rain.
This is particularly noticeable in GRO.
cusss.
Not only insects, but birds. snails
and the wind, help the plant world to
make love. The pollen grains Of the
pine tree which are spread by the wind
have tiny balloons attached to them.
The lecturer concluded with a de-
scription of the wild arum, which was
described as really wicked plant,
committing even murder in its love-
making. The wild arum secretes a
honey that intoxicstes insects, and,
not content with this decentralization. II
develops berries which attract birds.
But these berries also prove poison
Gus to birds, and so a bird, having
eaten Of the berry. dies promptly, falls
to the earth and decays. The decsying
flesh forms the best possible manure
for the growth of the arum seed re-
naming undigested in the birds car
cass.-London Mirror.