Animal Pollination

• Animal transport is one of the most common ways that the pollen from a male flower can get to the pistil, or female part of the plant. The animals don't know that they are doing it, but they play a critical role in helping many plants reproduce. Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other insects and animals are attracted to flowers because of their bright appearance or smell. The sticky pollen clings to their bodies when they visit the flower. When the animal moves on to another flower, perhaps a female flower of the same species, the pollen rubs off on the reproductive parts of the female plant and pollinates it. The pollen travels down to the ovule and the process of seed production begins.
  
  

Wind Pollination

• Some plants don't have the flashy flowers and sweet fragrance to attract animal pollinators, so they rely on the breeze to pollinate and reproduce. Allergy sufferers are well aware of how well pollen floats in the wind. This windblown pollen attempts to make its way to female flowers and fertilize the ovules in this way. The plants must release billions of pollen particles for a fortunate few to hit their targets. According to the U.S. Forest Service website, about 12 percent of all flowering plants reproduce in this way.
  
  

Self-Pollination

• Some plants grow in a way that allows them to pollinate without outside help. These types of plants usually have a pollen-producing flower that drops bits of pollen directly onto the female reproductive organs of the plant below. While cross-pollination has its advantages, self-pollination has the upper hand in some respects. The plant doesn't need to be visited by an animal or have the perfect breeze come along to carry its pollen to another plant. Also, these plants produce very uniform offspring.
  
  

Water Pollination

• The rarest of the pollination methods is water pollination. Some types of water plants reproduce because the flow of water actually carries bits of pollen along the water's surface to the female plant. This works similar to wind pollination and requires a bit of luck to work. Some plant pollen particles are even capable of moving under the water to fertilize other plants.