Article-A-Day
Insects and Animals that Pollinate Plants
10 Articles
Check articles you have read:
Honeybees
237 words
What Is Pollination?
248 words
All Kinds of Pollinators
311 words
Hummingbirds: Small and Special
240 words
Monarch Butterflies
279 words
How Bats Help Out
267 words
Butterflies and Flowers
75 words
Tiny Animals Can Be Helpers
99 words
SummerReads: Melons - Growing Melons
250 words
Hummingbirds
527 words
© 2024ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 1 of 24
Honeybees
Honeybees
by ReadWorks
Have you ever seen a honeybee? If so, you may have kept your distance.
Many people are scared of their stingers! But honeybees are not scary
pests. In fact, they are actually very important insects.
If you've seen a honeybee, think about where you saw it. You may have seen
it by some flowers. Honeybees go from flower to flower. They collect nectar
and pollen from the flowers for food. They can use this to make honey to
eat. This is the honey that people eat, too!
But honeybees aren't just important because of the honey they make.
They're important because of how they help plants. When they go from
flower to flower, they move the pollen from flower to flower, too. This is
called pollination. This is what lets plants grow new seeds! And those new
seeds can grow into new plants. So without honeybees, a lot of plants
couldn't exist. Apples, nuts, and berries are just some of the plants that
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 2 of 24
Honeybees
need honeybees to help them make new seeds. About 100 important crops
in the U.S.A. depend on bees!
Many people are worried because a lot of honeybees have been dying.
Some people think the chemicals used on farms may be hurting them.
Honeybees are also being hurt by diseases that we don't understand well
yet. But people are working to find ways to save the bees. How would you
like to help the bees?
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 3 of 24
What Is Pollination?
What Is Pollination?
What is your favorite fruit to eat? That fruit exists because of a very special
process. That process is called pollination. Pollination makes it possible for
plants to make new seeds. It affects all plants with flowers.
Pollination depends on something called pollen. You may have heard of
pollen before. Many people sneeze and get stuffy noses in the springtime
because of it. But pollen is an important part of how new seeds and plants
grow. For new seeds to grow, pollen has to be moved. It has to move from
one part of a flower to another part of a flower. Usually, it gets moved to a
different flower. This process is called pollination. It can happen in different
ways.
Sometimes, pollen gets moved by the wind. For example, corn has light and
dusty pollen. It can get blown long distances. When its pollen lands on the
ReadWorks.org · © 2016 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 4 of 24
What Is Pollination?
right part of another corn plant, it allows new corn to grow.
Other times, pollen gets moved by animals or insects. These animals or
insects are called pollinators. Bees are one example of a pollinator. They
come to a flower to get its nectar or pollen. The pollen sticks to the bees.
Then, when the bees fly to another flower, the pollen moves with them. It
gets dropped off at the other flower!
Moving pollen may seem like a simple thing, but it's very important. Without
pollination, we wouldn't have many of the fruits, vegetables, and plants we
have today.
ReadWorks.org · © 2016 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 5 of 24
All Kinds of Pollinators
All Kinds of Pollinators
by ReadWorks
Lemurs are just one of many kinds of pollinators.
Robert Zingg
Plants need pollination! Pollination is when pollen from a plant's flower gets
moved to a certain part of another flower. This movement of pollen has to
happen for a plant to grow new seeds. And new seeds are needed for new
plants to grow. So without pollination, plants would be in big trouble!
Luckily, different plants have different ways of making sure their pollen
moves. Some plants let lots of pollen out into the air. That way, the wind can
move the pollen to other flowers. But most plants do not depend on the
wind to spread their pollen. Instead, they depend on insects and animals.
Lots of insects and animals can help pollinate plants. You may know of
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 6 of 24
All Kinds of Pollinators
some of them. Bees are known for pollinating flowers. So are butterflies,
beetles, and other bugs. Hummingbirds and bats also are big helpers in this
way. But there are other pollinators that you may not know about! Here are
some interesting animals that help pollinate plants:
Honey Possums
These mammals pollinate flowers from plants like eucalyptus. The honey
possum's tail and feet help it hang from tree branches. That way it can
reach the tree's flowers more easily!
Lizards
Some kinds of lizards are also pollinators. One kind of lizard that pollinates
flowers is the Noronha skink. As this lizard sips up nectar from a certain
tree's flowers, pollen sticks to its scales. So when the lizard goes to another
flower, it moves the pollen.
Lemurs
Lemurs are some of the world's biggest pollinators. Black lemurs eat the
nectar and pollen of a plant called the traveller's palm. When they stick their
paws or snouts into the flower to get the nectar, pollen can get stuck to
them. Then, when they go to the next flower, the pollen goes with them!
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 7 of 24
Hummingbirds: Small and Special
Hummingbirds: Small and Special
Kelly Hunt/Photos by MK
Hummingbirds are very special for many reasons. For one, they are very,
very small. The smallest kind of hummingbird weighs less than 2 grams.
That's less than half the weight of a sheet of paper!
Hummingbirds are also special for the way they fly. They are the only birds
that can hover. That means they can stay in one place while flying. Plus,
they can fly backwards and even upside down!
All of that flying is supported by a hummingbird's wings. These birds
normally beat their wings up to 70 times per second. They can beat their
wings much faster when they dive quickly.
How does a hummingbird get all the energy it needs to beat its wings and
fly? It gets energy from the food it eats! Hummingbirds get a lot of their
food from flowers. They drink nectar from flowers using their long, thin
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 8 of 24
Hummingbirds: Small and Special
beaks and tube-like tongues.
When hummingbirds get their food from a flower, they also help the flower.
How? By pollinating it! When hummingbirds put their beak into a tube-like
flower, some of the flower's pollen can get on them. Then, when they go to
sip nectar from another flower, they move the pollen to that new flower. If
the pollen lands in the right place in the flower, the plant will grow new
seeds. So hummingbirds help lots of plants survive and grow. These birds
are truly special!
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 9 of 24
Monarch Butterflies
Monarch Butterflies
Have you ever seen a butterfly with orange, white, and black markings? That
may have been a monarch butterfly! Monarch butterflies are beautiful. They
are also important.
Monarch butterflies often can be found near flowers. They feed on the
nectar those flowers make. While they go from flower to flower eating
nectar, they also pollinate the flowers. Because of this, those flowers can
grow new seeds. Then those seeds can grow into new plants! So monarch
butterflies are important pollinators.
Many monarch butterflies live in the United States and Canada. But they
make a very special trip in the winter. The butterflies that are born late in the
summer travel to Mexico and Southern California. That trip can be up to
3,000 miles long! That's a far way to go for an insect. The butterflies make
this trip to get away from the cold weather. They go to the same forests
every year. Some scientists say that up to a billion butterflies go to the
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 10 of 24
Monarch Butterflies
mountain forests of Mexico each year!
The number of monarch butterflies has gone down a lot over the past
twenty years. Problems in their environment can make it hard for them to
survive. For example, there has been a loss of milkweed plants. Those are
the plants that monarch butterflies lay eggs on. Cities and farms have
gotten rid of a lot of milkweed. Hot, dry weather has hurt milkweed, too. All
of this hurts the monarch butterflies.
The forests of Mexico where butterflies go for the winter have also been
shrinking. People have cut down parts of the forest. Changing weather has
hurt the forest as well. This puts the butterflies at risk.
ReadWorks.org · © 2017 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 11 of 24
How Bats Help Out
How Bats Help Out
Bats
Have you ever seen a bat before? Bats are the only mammals that can fly.
They are nocturnal animals. That means they are awake at night. They do
their hunting and feeding after the sun has gone down.
Different kinds of bats eat different things. Some of them eat mostly
insects. Others eat mostly fruit. And some eat pollen, nectar, and other parts
of flowering plants. All of these kinds of bats are very important. Why?
Bats that eat insects help keep the number of bugs under control. Some of
them eat mosquitoes, the nasty pests that feast on blood and spread
disease. Because they eat so many bugs, they are great for farming. They
eat the bugs that would otherwise eat farmers' crops!
Bats that eat fruit can help spread seeds. Inside a fruit are the seeds of the
tree or plant that grew the fruit. When a bat eats the fruit, it does not digest
the seed. Instead, the seed leaves the bat as part of its waste. This can
ReadWorks.org · © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 12 of 24
How Bats Help Out
happen far away from the tree or plant where the bat first found the fruit.
There, a new tree or plant can grow!
Bats that eat different parts of flowering plants are helpful pollinators. As
they go from flower to flower, they move the plant's pollen to different
flowers. This makes it possible for the plants to grow new seeds! More than
500 different kinds of plants need bats to pollinate their flowers. They
include some kinds of cocoa, bananas, and mangos.
So if you see a bat, remember how much they help out!
ReadWorks.org · © 2018 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 13 of 24
SummerReads: Melons - Growing Melons
SummerReads: Melons - Growing Melons
by Andrew Funk, Charles Fisher
This text is provided courtesy of Elfrieda H. Hiebert and TextProject.
A bee loaded with pollen, July
2009.
© 2009 by Eli Shany.
Why are melons summer fruits? For one thing, melons need at least three
months to grow. That's why melons need to be planted in spring. But they
also need a long stretch of hot weather to ripen. This is what makes the
melon sweet and tasty. Usually, melons are grown in areas where the
weather is hot during the summer. In the United States, more than 75% of all
watermelons are grown in southern and western states like California and
Texas. But watermelons and other kinds of melons grow well in other parts
of the country too.
As a melon plant grows, it produces flowers. Each flower can be the start of
a melon. Just like other fruit plants, melon plants need help to grow tasty
melons. We wouldn't have as many tasty melons if it were not for bees
pollinating the melon flowers. As bees visit flowers, they get pollen on their
legs and bodies. Some pollen that is already on the bee's body may rub off
and stick to the part of the flower that makes the fruit. In order to have
ReadWorks.org
© 2010 Elfrieda H. Hiebert. Some rights reserved. Used by Permission
Page 14 of 24
SummerReads: Melons - Growing Melons
melons grow, there have to be some bees to carry the pollen from flower to
flower.
Farmers often place beehives near their melon fields. Without bees, farmers
would have to use a tiny brush to pollinate each flower. Next time you see a
bee near a flower, leave it alone. It's doing important work!
ReadWorks.org
© 2010 Elfrieda H. Hiebert. Some rights reserved. Used by Permission
Page 15 of 24
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds
This text is excerpted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.
Birds can be found nearly everywhere on Earth and they come in many
different sizes and colors. They also live in many different types of habitats.
This affects how they eat, nest, and sing songs. Hummingbirds are among
the smallest birds. The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird on Earth, just
two inches long. It weighs less than a penny!
A hummingbird is an amazing little animal. It can flap its wings up to 90
times in one second! That's so fast it looks like its wings are a blur. It's hard
to see its wings because they are constantly flapping.
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 16 of 24
Hummingbirds
A hummingbird compared to the size of a penny
Hummingbirds dart around from flower to flower, like bees. They use their
long, pointy beaks to drink sweet nectar from flowers. Since they are so
busy flapping their wings, they need to eat a lot to replace all of their energy.
A typical hummingbird will visit hundreds of flowers every day, drinking
more than its own weight in nectar. Nectar has sugar, which gives
hummingbirds plenty of energy. As they find insects on flowers,
hummingbirds eat them up.
Hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers. They are also drawn to red
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 17 of 24
Hummingbirds
feeders, which people hang on porches and trees. The feeders are filled with
sugary water, which is then dyed red to attract the birds. People hang
feeders for them because these birds are a lot of fun to watch!
A hummingbird approaches a flower for nectar.
Like many birds, the ruby-throated hummingbird migrates. This means it
spends part of the year in one place and part of the year in another place. It
can be found in parts of the eastern United States during the late spring and
early summer. When autumn rolls around, it heads south for warmer
weather.
Here is an amazing fact: this tiny bird, which is shorter than your finger,
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 18 of 24
Hummingbirds
doesn't migrate just a few miles. It migrates all the way across the Gulf of
Mexico-500 miles-without stopping! From there, it may continue south
through Mexico to Costa Rica and beyond.
Here is another interesting fact: they are the only birds that can fly
backwards! They can also hover and fly upside-down.
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 19 of 24
Hummingbirds
The locations where the ruby-throated hummingbird
lives in summer and winter
Their nests are very small, about half as big as a walnut shell. They make
their nests using little bits of moss and leaves. They use spider webs to hold
these little bits of nature together. They sometimes eat the spider before
using its web as glue.
The spider's web is nice and sticky. It is also flexible. A hummingbird will lay
two tiny eggs. When its tiny eggs hatch and the babies begin to grow, the
spider web will allow the nest to expand. This helps the babies stay warm
and safe. In the image, a hummingbird is feeding its babies. Maybe it is
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 20 of 24
Hummingbirds
giving them a nice, juicy bug to eat. Maybe it is sharing a taste of sweet
flower nectar with the babies.
See if you can find a more interesting little bird than that!
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 21 of 24
Hummingbirds
A ruby-throated hummingbird feeds its babies.
ReadWorks.org
This article is based on an original work of the Core Knowledge® Foundation made available
through licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Unported License. This does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge Foundation
endorses this work. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
sa/3.0/
Page 22 of 24
Butterflies and Flowers
Butterflies and Flowers
by ReadWorks
Do you want to see a butterfly flutter by your garden? Then you should plant
a lot of flowers.
Butterflies like sunny gardens and colorful flowers. They drink the sweet
juice that is in the flowers.
Butterflies taste the juice with their feet. They sip the juice with a tube that
is on their head. They use the tube like a straw.
You might see butterflies in the spring, summer, and fall. Happy butterfly
watching!
ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 23 of 24
Tiny Animals Can Be Helpers
Tiny Animals Can Be Helpers
by Susan LaBella
Many kinds of little bugs live in our world. Some tiny animals, such as ticks,
can harm people. A tick bite can make people sick.
Other tiny animals can help people.
Ladybugs are helpers. People plant gardens. Some insects eat plants that
people want to grow. Ladybugs eat bugs that harm plants. Ladybugs help
people grow healthy plants.
Bumblebees are helpers. Bumblebees fly to flowers to get food. Yellow dust
called pollen is on the flowers. This dust gets onto the bees. Bees carry the
dust to other plants. The pollen helps new flowers grow.
Thank you, tiny helpers!
ReadWorks.org · © 2014 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Page 24 of 24
