Blog post #7 SOTS MAYA LEWIS

Fertilization in flowering plants happens through a process called pollination. Pollination occurs when pollen grains from the anther land on a stigma. After pollen grains land on the stigma, a pollen tube grows from the pollen grain, through the style, and into the ovary. Sperm cells inside the pollen grain travel down the pollen tube and into the ovary which contains the ovules. Fertilization occurs when one of the sperm cells fuses with the egg inside of an ovule. After fertilization occurs, each ovule develops into a seed. Each seed contains a tiny, undeveloped plant called an embryo. The ovary surrounding the ovules develops into a fruit that contains one or more seeds.

The male reproductive part of a flower is called the stamen. It is composed of a long tube, called a filament, and has a pollen-producing structure on the end. This oval-shaped structure is called the anther. It is crucial in the reproduction of flowering plants, as it produces the male gametophyte, known as pollen.

This is the female reproductive structure of a flower is known as a carpel. The three main parts of the carpel are the ovary, stigma, and a style. The carpel's job is to create the egg and protect the embryo. The stigma is also where the pollination occurs.

 In some species of flowering plant, the male and female parts are located in separate flowers (some flowers are male, some are female), and yet another situation is when the male and female flowers are on entirely separate individuals (some plants are male, some are female). 

This is the petal of the flower. It's bright color attracts pollinators like bees and other insects.