23/03/2025
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Free with normal Garden admission
Event information
Time
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Price
Free with normal Garden admission
Who

This talk will be delivered in the classroom at the Botanic Garden.
Free with normal Garden admission.
Please check the website and social media for updates.
Suitable for adults and children aged 12+.
Talks run monthly March to July.

A small number of plants attract pollinators not by providing a food reward, but by mimicking females of the pollinating animal species. Male animals are attracted to these mimics and may attempt to mate with them. In the process, pollen is transferred to and from the animal’s body and can be carried to other flowers. The plant gets pollinated and has not had to provide any nectar in exchange! We will discuss how these sexually deceptive flowers work and how plants are able to construct these brilliant models of female insects.