" (See Daisy) In the first place,
such an association of florets makes a far more conspicuous
advertisement than a single flower, one that can be seen by
insects at a great distance; for most of the composite plants
live in large colonies, each plant, as well as each floret,
helping the others in attracting their benefactors' attention.
The facility with which insects are enabled to collect both
pollen and nectar makes the goldenrods exceedingly popular
restaurants. Finally, the visits of.insects are more likely to
prove effectual, because any one that alights must touch several
or many florets, and cross-pollinate them simply by crawling over
a head. The disk florets mostly contain both stamens and pistil,
while the ray florets in one series are all male. Immense numbers
of wasps, hornets, bees, flies, beetles, and "bugs" feast without
effort here indeed, the budding entomologist might form a large
collection of Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera
from among the. visitors to a single field of goldenrod alone.
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