The very young flowers of the buttercup are called buds. On the outside of each bud we see five little green leaves. These keep the bud safe from the cold and from the rain.
毛茛的花, 在很小的时候, 叫做“花蕾”。每一个花蕾的外面, 我们都看见了五片小小的绿叶, 学名叫“萼片”。这些萼片能保护花蕾不受寒冷和雨水的伤害。
When the bud opens, we see five other golden-yellow leaves inside it. Are these bright-coloured leaves of any use to the plant? Let us see.
花蕾打开的时候, 可以看见五片金黄色的花瓣。这些色彩艳丽的花瓣, 对植物有什么用吗? 咱们再来看看。
Every buttercup flower has a little honey in its cup, and insects and bees are fond of this honey. When they see a gay blossom, they fly to it at once, for they hope to find honey there.
每一朵毛茛花的花朵里面, 都会有一点儿花蜜, 蜜蜂和其他昆虫很喜欢这种花蜜。它们看见艳丽的花朵就会马上朝花朵飞过来, 想在里面找到花蜜。
Now the flowers need the bees to carry their yellow dust from one blossom to another. This dust is needed to make good seeds for the flowers. You may see it on the little dust-spikes that stand up round the middle of the flower.
毛茛花也需要蜜蜂, 把黄色的花粉, 从一朵花传到另一朵花。花需要这些花粉, 才能制造出种子。在花朵中心立着的雄蕊上, 你就能看见花粉。
So you see the gay colour guides the bees to the honey, then the bees carry the flower dust to other flowers to make perfect seeds. In this way the flowers and the bees help each other.
小朋友, 现在你明白了, 艳丽的颜色可以把蜜蜂引来采花蜜, 然后蜜蜂把花粉传到别的花上, 让花制造出种子。这样, 花与蜜蜂就是在互相帮助啦！