Keeping Everyone Sweet!

Val explains how plants and their flying visitors keep each other happy.

- Val Bourne

I WAS at a jolly gathering a few weeks ago, enjoying a pub meal, and marvelled at the complexity of the drinks order. Gin was the favoured tipple of some young things. Others wanted wine, some wanted shandy and two lightweights, including me, went for fizzy water with lemon and ice.

It proved how different we all are and the insects that visit our gardens are equally picky when it comes to collecting nectar. Flowers come in different shapes, colours and sizes, that’s obvious, and they all produce nectar, which is the sugary drink most flying insects need for energy. Pollination is almost a by-product, rather like my cat spreading goosegrass seeds through the garden when she hunts for voles. Thankfully I haven’t got many of these cleavers.