Jacob’s ladder, lacy phacelia, and wild bergamot were about to burst into blue, lavender, and pink and be swarmed by bees when a research group covered them with wedding favor bags. After the flowers opened, they removed the bags and waited. It did not take long for a bee to land.
Back in the lab, they counted the pollen grains the bee had deposited on the flower. Grain by grain, they were discovering how important bee species diversity is to pollination.