Pollination, Plants, and the Art of Survival

Pollinating Honeybee (credit: Sustainability Conference Penn State Univ)

Bees, bats, birds, and butterflies are all pollinators. Various other animals and insects also serve this existential function. Many have co-evolved elegant approaches to accomplishing the task like providing food for the pollinator while the plant is assisted in its reproductive cycle. As humans, we benefit from their pollination services considering that nearly 40% of all the plants we eat require pollinators to produce their fruits or seeds.

Sustaining the cycle between plant and pollinator is vital to maintaining life on Earth. The photographer and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg used high-definition, time-lapse, photography and video to capture this 'dance of life'. He was inspired to create the documentary film, Wings of Life, when he learned of the environmental threats to one of the primary pollinators, honeybees. Schwartzberg also presented this work and passion during a TED talk. He could also be helping to create an appreciation for plants and reduce the incidence of plant blindness.

WHB

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