Many plant species are pollinated by insects, and this correlation is known as entomophily. Entomophilous plants have developed a series of “seductive” features to lure insects, such as brightly colored petals, fragrant flowers and delicious nectar.

Both insects and plants benefit from this pollination relationship. Insects ensure an important food source, such as the floral nectar, and plants are pollinated by the pollen-sprinkled insects that move about from flower to flower. Pollen contains the male sperm cells of a plant and is found in the male organs of a plant, the stamens – anthers. When pollen-sprinkled insects come into contact with the stigma, the female part of the flower, the plant is pollinated. The transfer of pollen from insects is a vital process for many plants, as it facilitates their reproduction.

The impressive diversity of floral characteristics reflects the adaptations of flowers to the various groups of pollinators.

The insects we encounter at GNO Park are scattered across the entire area and consist mainly of bees, butterflies and beetles.

Bees

Bees are responsible for the continuous production of life and evolution on the planet! Simply put, we cannot live without bees.

Bees are known to facilitate pollination for most plants, including more than 100 different vegetable and fruit crops. Without bees, there would be a huge reduction in pollination, which would later lead to a decrease in plant growth and food reserves.

Bees and bumblebees feed on pollen and nectar. Their mouthparts form a “proboscis,” which can suck the nectar from a distance. In addition, some species of wild bees are adapted to feed on bell-shaped flowers, in which they immerse their entire bodies. These are mostly encountered in the Mediterranean Garden and the Western Walks.

At the Park, bees live among 130,000 shrubs, but they show a preference for plants of the Lamiaceae family, such as thyme, mint and sage, as well as plants of the Scrophulariaceae family, all of which provide insects with adequate floral space to hold on to. How many kilos of honey do you think the bees at GNO Park could produce?

To produce a single drop of honey, 75,000 flowers need to be visited! Bees can collect pollen from an area of up to 78.5 square kilometers around their hive (an area almost as big as the island of Santorini).

Often, during the summer months, you may spot a bee sitting still and alone on the ground. She is probably exhausted and needs immediate help. You can help a tired bee by mixing two tablespoons of white granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water, and placing it near the bee, so that she can be revitalized drinking this homemade energy drink.

 

Butterflies

Butterflies are capable of sucking the nectar off deep flowers, where bees or hoverflies cannot reach. Butterflies prefer red, blue and yellow flowers, which is why the floral colors of plants pollinated by butterflies are so attractive. Because butterflies need easy landing, the flowers adapted to them carry a “landing platform,” consisting either of a single flower or an entire inflorescence (e.g. wild carrot). They also like flowers of the Lamiaceae family, such as lavender and thyme.

We mostly see them at the Mediterranean Garden, the Sound Garden, the Playgrounds, and the Western Walks. Moths, whose pollination mainly concerns plants with drooping flowers, which have nectar at a depth of up to 20 cm, such as, for example, the bindweed Calystegia sepium, fly in the dark and are attracted by the sweet smell of flowers.

 

Beetles

Beetles were the first pollinators on earth. They feed mainly on pollen; nectar is often difficult to consume with their relatively short mouthparts. As a result, they are found in pollen-rich flowers that are at the same time easily accessible to them, e.g. roses or wild carrots. Some beetles prefer rather “foul-smelling” flowers: this is why certain flowers that are pollinated by beetles emit a different, rather less fruity, aroma. In addition, beetles use flowers to bask on them, sleep on them, or mate.

You will find them all over the Park, from the Running Track to the Canal, while they often enjoy the vistas from the Lighthouse and the Western Walks.