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Hoverflies and butterflies

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Hoverflies are pollinating insects.

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Some flowers make drinking even more difficult for their . This small iris grows in South . Each flower has a hugely-elongated base. The tiny entrance to it is indicated with clarity and accuracy by these white arrows on the petals. And here is the only tongue that can reach that .

It belongs to a hoverfly. It's not so much a tongue as a fine . But in proportion to body length, it's one of the longest feeding- in the animal kingdom. The clear markings are particularly important because the tongue is so long that even in the wind, the end blows about. An extra thrust is needed to get the last .

The iris only flowers for a few weeks. So what does the hoverfly collect with its tongue at other times? Well, after this iris is over, this different blue flower opens. It's produced by another of iris. And in fact, there's a succession of plants that on the veldt during the next few months so that the hoverfly is kept fed throughout its short life. The hoverfly collects on the front of its broad head and on the back of its neck.

Butterflies, on the other hand, tend to accumulate it around the base of the . They don't hold their tongue needle-straight like the hoverfly; they it. Sometimes, most remarkably, they can put a sharp in it. This butterfly has got pollen not on its tongue but all over its legs as .