WILDFLOWERS Chapter 13

Wildflower Facts and Figures More than 150,000 species of flowering plants (angiosperms) Wildflowers grow naturally without human help Wildflowers serve as food for many wildlife species, especially the stems and leaves Bright colored flowers are to attract the pollinators Nectar is a sugary fluid used to also attract pollinators which serves as food for the pollinator Some animals, such as bees, use the nectar to make food (honey)

Fruit and Seeds Fruit contains the seeds Fruit encourages animals to eat so seeds are dispersed with feces Other methods of seed dispersal include wind, clinging to animals (sandspurs, beggar lice, etc.), seed burial (acorns by squirrels), moving water carries seeds

Cover Flowering plants often provide cover for animals Birds often use plants for nesting cover Vegetation also provides escape cover

Other Benefits Vegetation holds the soil in place preventing erosion Plants help clean the environment (plants remove carbon dioxide which causes global warming) Some plants can remove heavy metals from the soil Many plants have economic value (cane for fishing pole, baskets, wreaths, cotton for clothing, etc.) Food for humans

Growing Wildflowers Most wildflowers are either annuals or perennials Annuals live one growing season Annuals sprout in the spring, grow in the summer, flower, then die before winter. Annuals regrow each year from the seed produced the year before Perennials continue their life span for several years from the original roots