Long-term time-lapse video provides near complete records of floral visitors

by Joan Edwards et al.

skipper on Polygala paucifolia

Accurate records of floral visitors are critical for understanding pollination, but difficult to observe directly. Pollination events are often fleeting, occurring in a few seconds or less making them easy to miss. Visits can also occur in pulses, making it difficult to track all visitors at once and they can occur over long time intervals, making continuous direct observation problematic. We report an inexpensive, portable time‐ lapse camera, which can record floral visitors over the full blooming time of a flower providing a near‐complete record of floral visitors. Using a camera also allows collecting data while minimizing observer interference. We tested this camera system on thirty different species to demonstrate its utility on flowers and inflorescences of many different shapes and sizes. 

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Read the scientific publication in JPE.