Shelby Farms Park has more than 20 lakes and ponds, more than 40 miles of trails, and a variety of plant and flower species that call the Park "home". Today, let's learn about the different parts of a flower!

Angiosperms are plants that grow flowers and flowers are the reproductive part of angiosperms. Most angiosperms have brightly colored petals and these petals use these colors to attract pollinators to the flower. Birds and insects are examples of such pollinators. Can you find the bee on the flower in this picture? 

The male part of the flower is called the stamen, and it consists of the anther and filament. The anther is the structure that produces pollen, and the filament is the stalk that supports the anther. The pistil (also called the carpel) is the female part of the flower and consists of the stigma, style, and ovary.

An ovule is a structure inside the flower’s ovary. Once pollen reaches the ovule, fertilization can occur, and once fertilized, the ovule develops into a plant’s seed. When pollen reaches the ovule, fertilization can occur and the ovule develops into a seed. The plant’s ovary is the structure that contains the seed(s). The ovary develops into a fruit to protect the seed(s). Some fruits have only one seed because the ovary has only one ovule. Some fruits have multiple seeds because the ovary contains multiple ovules.  

Nature Challenge: Take a nature walk, and try to find examples of flowering plants.