What is pollination?
Pollination takes place when pollen lands on the stigma of a plant. It then travels down to the ovary and it's here that the ovules are fertilised. Most plants have flowers with the male and female parts present in each flower. Mostly, plants rely on insects, such as bees, to take the pollen from the anthers to the stigma.

Pollination by insects
An insect can pollinate flowers accidentally when the pollen is rubbed off the body of the insect. Plants can produce nectar within flowers, a sugary liquid, which many insects feed on. Pollen is a useful source of protein for some insects, such as bees. Insects are attracted to the flower by scent, colours and nectar. They carry pollen from flower to flower, while collecting nectar and pollen for themselves. After pollination, the plant produces a seed, which mostly grows protected inside the plants' ovaries.
It's not always insects that pollinate the flowers; plants may use the wind, birds or even bats as pollinators! With wind-pollinated plants - such as grasses, cereals and some trees - the flowers are very simple, with no bright colours or nice smells as they don't need to attract the insects. These plants have both male and female reproductive parts and they make a lot of pollen. This is why a pollen allergy is called 'hay fever'.