The nature of our minds leads us to assign human attributes to things that can't possibly have them. Think of all the commercials about malicious pollen grains or assaulting germs, the target of evil intent. Yet, sometimes, this propensity may amuse us, or even grab our attention enough for us to learn something.
Let's take the prickly pear cactus as an example. The
"sneaky" prickly pear, that is. The nectar, marked by ultraviolet coloration
in the cactus blossom, is lies deep in the center of a forest of pollen-bearing
stamens. A bee, homing in on the marked area, enters the center of the flower for the
nectar, but in doing so, triggers sensors at the bases of the stamens—sensors that
cause the stamens to bend centerwise. Trapped, the bee has no choice but to force its
way out, getting thoroughly plastered by sticky pollen in the process. Pollen that will
be carried to female parts of the next flower visited. Now, won't
"sneaky" cactus flowers and bee entrapment be forever connected in your
mind?
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.