Spring has arrived, and with it comes tons of pollen in the air. Pollen, despite being annoying for allergies, is actually vital to the environment as it is essential for plant reproduction to happen. Plants fertilized with pollen can grow things like nuts, fruits and seeds. And in this process, pollinators, animals that move pollen between flowers to fertilize plants, are incredibly important.

The most famous pollinators, bees, collect pollen from flowers both intentionally and unintentionally. When a bee sticks to a flower, the pollen sticks to the fuzz on its body. When it moves to a different flower, the pollen sticks to that, creating a cycle where the bee pollinates multiple different flowers each time it goes out. Bees aren’t the only insects that pollinate; wasps and ants do as well, but bees are the most effective due to the way pollen sticks to their bodies.

It’s not just insects that pollinate. Hummingbirds are commonly known for their habit of drinking the nectar from certain flower types. In a similar way to bees, the pollen sticks to their feathers and drifts with them until they fly to new flowers, pollinating them.

Believe it or not, bats are actually very important pollinators as well. Just like bees and hummingbirds, bats crave the nectar within flowers, and as they drink, the pollen sticks to their faces until their fur brushes against other flowers that they drink from. Due to their stamina, bats carry the pollen for very long distances.