Attraction methods

A Bee orchid has evolved over many generations to better mimic a female bee to attract male bees as
pollinators.

Plants cannot move from one location to another, thus many flowers have evolved to attract
animals to transfer pollen between individuals in dispersed populations. Flowers that are insect-
pollinated are called entomophilous; literally "insect-loving" in Greek. They can be highly modified
along with the pollinating insects by co-evolution. Flowers commonly have glands
called nectaries on various parts that attract animals looking for
nutritious nectar. Birds and bees have color vision, enabling them to seek out "colorful" flowers.
Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that show pollinators where to look for nectar;
they may be visible only under ultraviolet light, which is visible to bees and some other insects.
Flowers also attract pollinators by scent and some of those scents are pleasant to our sense of
smell. Not all flower scents are appealing to humans; a number of flowers are pollinated by
insects that are attracted to rotten flesh and have flowers that smell like dead animals, often
called Carrion flowers, including Rafflesia, the titan arum, and the North
American pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Flowers pollinated by night visitors, including bats and
moths, are likely to concentrate on scent to attract pollinators and most such flowers are white.
Other flowers use mimicry to attract pollinators. Some species of orchids, for example, produce
flowers resembling female bees in color, shape, and scent. Male bees move from one such
flower to another in search of a mate.

Flower-pollinator relationships
Many flowers have close relationships with one or a few specific pollinating organisms. Many
flowers, for example, attract only one specific species of insect, and therefore rely on that insect
for successful reproduction. This close relationship is often given as an example of coevolution,
as the flower and pollinator are thought to have developed together over a long period of time to
match each other's needs.
This close relationship compounds the negative effects of extinction. The extinction of either
member in such a relationship would mean almost certain extinction of the other member as well.
Some endangered plant species are so because of shrinking pollinator populations.

Pollen allergy
There is much confusion about the role of flowers in allergies. For example, the showy and
entomophilous goldenrod (Solidago) is frequently blamed for respiratory allergies, of which it is
innocent, since its pollen cannot be airborne. The types of pollen that most commonly cause
allergic reactions are produced by the plain-looking plants (trees, grasses, and weeds) that do
not have showy flowers. These plants make small, light, dry pollen grains that are custom-made
for wind transport.
The type of allergens in the pollen is the main factor that determines whether the pollen is likely
to cause hay fever. For example, pine tree pollen is produced in large amounts by a common
tree, which would make it a good candidate for causing allergy. It is, however, a relatively rare
cause of allergy because the types of allergens in pine pollen appear to make it less allergenic.
Instead the allergen is usually the pollen of the contemporary bloom of
anemophilous ragweed (Ambrosia), which can drift for many miles. Scientists have collected
samples of ragweed pollen 400 miles out at sea and 2 miles high in the air.[17] A single ragweed
plant can generate a million grains of pollen per day.[18]
Among North American plants, weeds are the most prolific producers of allergenic
pollen.[19] Ragweed is the major culprit, but other important sources are sagebrush, redroot
pigweed, lamb's quarters, Russian thistle (tumbleweed), and English plantain.
It is common to hear people say they are allergic to colorful or scented flowers like roses. In fact,
only florists, gardeners, and others who have prolonged, close contact with flowers are likely to
be sensitive to pollen from these plants. Most people have little contact with the large, heavy,
waxy pollen grains of such flowering plants because this type of pollen is not carried by wind but
by insects such as butterflies and bees.

Seed dispersal
Main article: Biological dispersal