tacticalbee

Why is the flower so big?
The sunflower wants to maximize the number of seeds it can make. The flower head is actually made up of 1,000 - 2,000 tiny flowers arranged in a specific pattern to maximize the number of flowers for that shape, like honey bee cells are hexagons because that is the best shape to fit in their hive. A sunflower relies on bees and other insects to help move pollen around the head of the flower so it can be pollinated. Butterflies and other insects often perch on an upturned sunflower head because its large, flat surface is inviting to insects searching for nectar. What other flowers in your garden give a flat surface for insects and what other insects would take advantage of this? Are there any more flowers in your garden that have big, flat heads (maybe not as big as sunflowers though!)?

Why are they black in the middle? Many flowers use visual cues to attract pollinators. The middle of the flower is darker than the surrounding pedals to help draw pollinators to the center where their pollen and nectar are. Flower shape and size also provide visual cues and structures that have co-evolved with pollinators. Can you think of other flowers that use contrasting colors to lure in pollinators?

What senses do the pollinators such as bees and butterflies use to find good flowers (ones with plenty of pollen and/or nectar)?

Why does it grow so tall? A sunflower’s goal is to try and make as many healthy seeds as possible and growing taller gives the plant more access to the sun. Sunflowers don't need to grow tall, there are a lot of species that are smaller and grow just fine. The taller they are means they are more likely to have greater access to more sunlight. Therefore it is just a natural instinct. Why do you think they call it a sunflower? What happens to the sunflower when the sun changes directions?

How many different colors of zinnias did you get this year? What do their seeds look like? How could you figure out whether its butterflies or bees that visit zinnias more? What would we have to do?

Do Zinnias survive over the winter? Zinnas are annuals and do not survive the winter, but leaving a few old flowers will then drop seeds that will sprout the next spring.
2. Will birds visit the Zinnias? Birds will eat at zinnias for their seeds but that is after the flower has been pollinated.
3. Do butterflies or bees visit the flowers more? While we don’t have the data on which pollinator makes the most visits to zinnias, we do know that the flat landing pad of the flower makes it easier for butterflies to visit the flower to drink nectar. Bees also love to visit the flower for the nectar and easy access to pollen.
4. What insects eat zinnia leaves? Zinnias have few insect pests, but aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies may damage plants, especially during hot, dry weather. Lady bugs are natural predators of mites and aphids and other insects. Having these insects may attract ladybugs. (Aphids and spider mites can be hosed off the plants with a strong stream of water. Since spider mites thrive in hot, dry weather, reducing drought stress with supplemental irrigation will help prevent an infestation. )

The pepper plant is sort of self-sufficient. Do you know what that means? It means it doesn't really need pollinators to help pollinate it. Those white flowers (that aren't so fancy to our eyes) can pollinate themselves! What is one group of pollinators that would be happy to help? (hint - what kind of pollinator really likes white flowers?)

1. Why are the leaves spiky? This cucumber plant uses the spikes on the leaves to deter insects and other pests from eating at the leaves. What other plants in the garden have spiky leaves? Do those plants taste like cucumbers, too? Or maybe taste doesn't have anything to do with spikes!

2. Why are the leaves so big? Leaves produce food for the plant by a process called photosynthesis. Cells called chlorophyll (which give the plant its green color) absorb light energy and convert it to sugar which the plant needs to grow and produce flowers and cucumbers. The larger the leaves, the more chlorophyll a plant can make. What other plants have big leaves in the garden? Do squash plants? How about basil? What about thyme?

3. Why are there so many flowers? Your cucumber plant is doing very well! All of the flowers mean the plant is making a lot of energy in order to grow new flowers. The more flowers the plant has, the more flowers that will be pollinated and go to making cucumbers which means more seeds for the plant. What happens if you pick some of those flowers? Will the left-over flowers get more? What happens when the fruit gets more nutrients than another fruit on the same plant? Can you think of an experiment to measure the effect of "pinching back" some of the flowers?

1. Where do tomato plants grow naturally? The natural tomato plant is known to botanists as Solanum pimpinellfolium, otherwise known as pimp. The plant is a wild ancestor of all the tomatoes we eat today, and still grows wild in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador. The tomatoes that grow are about the size of a pea.
2. Why can’t humans eat a green tomato? Humans do in fact eat green tomatoes, and usually fry them and dip them in sauce to compliment the more bitter taste of the green tomato. Tomatoes start off green and then turn red because as the tomato ripens, it releases lycopene which has a red pigment. While it is making more lycopene, sugar in the tomato rises and acid levels drop, and the tomato softens.
3. How many different types of bees pollinate tomato plants? Tomato plants can be wind pollinated and bee pollinated, but those pollinated by bees have been found to have higher levels of vitamin c and weigh more. Tomatoes require buzz pollination where the pollinator vibrates their bodies to shake off the pollen from the closed anther. Pollinators include bumble bees and carpenter bees.

Aphids eat the leaves and will cause the leaves of the plant to turn yellow
Spider mites feed on the plant’s leaves and kill the plant by making sticky webs on the leaves that keep the leaves from being able to take in food (photosynthesis).
Tomato worms and stinkbugs leave tiny brown spots on the tomato after eating from it.
Slugs dig holes in tomatoes and eat what is inside.
What insects did you see on these plants? Were they "beneficial" insects or "harmful" insects?

What do you think pollinators do if there are no more flowers on the plant? Pollinators are clever! They go from plant to plant looking for their food supplies and take them back to the nest. If one plant doesn't have something good, they move on. what is one way to measure the "food value" of a plant? Could you design an experiment where you measure the number of times pollinators visit the plant? Do you think this changes over a season?