The dandelion deserves its close-up too

Here is a common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale. Boring!

But the wasp does not agree. She is busily foraging for nectar, deep inside the 200-odd tiny florets that compose the flower-head.

The tall curly things are the stigmas, covered in pollen:

and the pollen collects on the body of the wasp, who then unwittingly transfers it to the next flower that she visits:

Successful pollination means the dandelion can produce its plumed seeds, each called a pappus, to create that ethereal thing, the dandelion clock:

A single pappus can be seen top left, detaching itself from the seedhead. The word ‘pappus’ is from the Greek for grandfather, whose white beard the dandelion clock resembles. A pappus can fly for a kilometre, and scientists have worked out how they do it:

https://www.insidescience.org/news/how-dandelion-seeds-stay-afloat-so-long

The much smaller coltsfoot is being visited here by a flower beetle. Just like the dandelion, the coltsfoot’s curly stigmas will deposit their pollen on the insect, though I must admit his shiny wing cases don’t seem likely to provide a very good attachment site:

Below is a link to a really wonderful piece by Brian Johnston with microscopic photos of the dandelion, showing far more than I can manage with my camera.

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjun10/bj-dandelion.html

And I had completely forgotten that my friend Leigh Hayes did a terrific post on dandelions two years ago. Here it is: https://wondermyway.com/2015/05/17/never-call-it-just-a-dandelion/

And do consider following her blog too.