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Blossoms and Apples
Follow Vince from spring blossom to autumn apple, noticing pollen, what falls, what grows, and the seeds hidden inside.
Turn the pagesOr scroll to readAn apple tree in bloom
Pages 1–2
Blossoms fill the apple tree. Where are the apples?
Explore together · Flowers before fruit
Vince looks up at an apple tree full of blossoms. Apple flowers come before the developing fruit. Not every flower will become a mature apple.
Ask together: What do you notice on the tree?
Pollen on a visitor
Pages 3–4
A bee comes buzzing. Yellow pollen sticks to its fuzz.
Explore together · Pollen on body hairs
A bee visits a blossom, with yellow pollen caught on its body hairs. Pollen from the flower’s anthers can stick to a visiting bee. The close view makes the small grains easier to notice.
Ask together: Where can you see the yellow pollen?
A ride to another flower
Pages 5–6
Off to another apple tree. Some pollen rubs off here.
Explore together · Pollen transfer between flowers
Vince follows the bee to another apple tree; pollen-bearing legs touch the flower’s central tips. Some pollen can rub onto a receptive stigma. Most apple varieties need pollen from a different compatible variety; a visit alone does not guarantee fruit.
Ask together: What has changed on the flower the bee is visiting?
What stays behind
Pages 7–8
Days pass. Down come the petals. A little green bit stays.
Explore together · Petals fall; the base remains
Petals fall away while a little green base stays attached to the branch. The flower’s attached base can develop into an apple. The petals fall separately; they do not turn into the fruit.
Ask together: Which parts have fallen, and which part is still attached?
Fallen and growing
Pages 9–10
A little apple has fallen. This one is still growing.
Explore together · Some fruit drop
Vince notices one small fallen apple while another remains on the tree. Some small fruit drop while others continue growing. Weather, pollination and the tree’s resources can matter, but the picture cannot tell us why this particular fruit fell.
Ask together: What is different about the two apples Vince notices?
Many visits later
Pages 11–12
I visit all summer. Now autumn is here. My apple is rosy.
Explore together · Growth over a season
Vince returns through summer and sees a rosy apple in autumn. Apples develop over months, with timing and colour depending on variety and conditions. Redness alone is not a reliable test of ripeness.
Ask together: What shows you that time has passed?
An old flower clue
Pages 13–14
Up I lift it. A bit of the flower is still here!
Explore together · A lasting flower part
Vince lifts an apple and looks closely at the small brown remnant at its blossom end. The dried sepals remain opposite the stalk. This old flower part links the apple to the blossom seen earlier.
Ask together: What does the small brown part remind you of?
Seeds inside
Pages 15–16
A grown-up cuts it open. Hello, seeds!
Explore together · Seeds in the core
A grown-up opens the apple lengthwise, and Vince discovers brown seeds in its core. The papery core encloses the seeds; surrounding flower tissue forms most of the flesh. Visible seed number varies, and a cut can miss some.
Ask together: What was hidden inside the apple?
A quiet drawing
Pages 17–18
For grown-ups
Pages 19–20
For Grown-Ups Vince follows a flower through a season of changes. Look together, notice what stays, and leave room for wondering. 1–6 A ride between flowers Yellow pollen from the anthers sticks to a bee’s body hairs. Some can rub onto a flower’s receptive stigma. Most apple varieties need pollen from a different, compatible variety. Pollination allows fertilization to follow; one bee visit does not guarantee an apple. 7–8 What stays? Petals fall after bloom. The attached flower base can develop into an apple. The ovary forms the papery core, and surrounding flower tissue forms most of the flesh. The petals do not turn into the fruit. Tiny sepals remain at the blossom end. 9–10 Some apples fall Many flowers never become mature fruit. Some little fruit drop while others keep growing. Pollination, weather and the tree’s resources can affect this. We cannot tell why one particular fruit fell just by looking. 11–12 Many visits later Apples develop over months. The timing depends on the variety and conditions. Vince’s apple gains a red blush; other ripe apples can be green or yellow. Colour alone does not tell us an apple is ready to pick. 13–14 An old flower clue Turn a known apple gently. Opposite the stalk, the dried sepals make a small brown star. It is a remnant of the flower. 15–16 A hidden centre Cutting an apple open can reveal its papery core and brown seeds. The number of seeds you see varies; a cut may miss some. Seeds develop from fertilized ovules inside the flower. Look together Watch bees from a comfortable distance. Sketch the same reachable branch on later visits. A grown-up can wash and cut a familiar edible apple lengthwise. Look for the flower remnant, core and seeds. Leave seeds for looking. Never taste unknown fruit; every activity is optional. Science sources: University of Minnesota Extension; University of Missouri Extension; Canadian Food Inspection Agency; NIAB. Source links and further qualifications accompany the online edition.
Open these pages in the readerSources and evidence
Cultivated apple blossoms usually have five pale petals, yellow pollen-bearing anthers and five stigma/style tips.
Apple (Malus domestica) - Plant Identification Learning Module
The Biology of Malus domestica Borkh. (Apple)
Most apple varieties need pollen from another compatible variety; some are self-fertile. Nearby trees alone do not establish compatibility.
Pollen can adhere to a visiting bee and be transferred from its body to another flower stigma.
Pollen can be carried on body and leg hairs. Packed pollen baskets are not the only pollen involved in transfer.
Most apple varieties crop reliably with pollen from a compatible different variety; transfer precedes fertilization and seed development.
Bloom thinning apples: How the pollen tube growth model works
Planting of suitable pollinating varieties in sufficient numbers
Pollination and fertilization are different steps. One pictured visit does not guarantee an apple.
After bloom, petals can fall while the attached flower base remains and begins enlarging into a fruitlet.
The ovary forms the core while surrounding flower tissue forms most of the flesh. Falling petals do not become the fruit.
Some developing apple fruitlets drop while others continue to grow.
Bloom thinning apples: How the pollen tube growth model works
Many flowers or small fruits do not reach maturity. A fallen fruit’s cause cannot be diagnosed from its appearance alone.
An apple develops over weeks and months; colour, size and ripening time vary among varieties.
The Biology of Malus domestica Borkh. (Apple)
Apple (Malus domestica) - Plant Identification Learning Module
Development takes months and depends on variety and conditions. Skin colour varies; redness alone does not establish ripeness.
Apple sepals can persist as the dry calyx at the blossom end, opposite the stalk.
The Biology of Malus domestica Borkh. (Apple)
The blossom-end remnant is opposite the stalk. Handle only known edible fruit with a grown-up.
An apple encloses seeds in a papery core; most fleshy tissue comes from the floral cup surrounding the ovary.
8.1 Fruit Morphology - The Science of Plants
Apple (Malus domestica) - Plant Identification Learning Module
Fun with Fruity Figures - GAMES, hosted by Grand Valley State University
The lengthwise illustration shows one plausible cut. Visible seeds vary by fruit and cutting plane; a cut may miss some. A grown-up prepares a familiar washed apple; seeds are for looking.
A story worth keeping?
Read it here as often as you like. The physical edition is coming soon.