With Flowers and Bees, It Is All About Sex

I know it’s fruitless to compare the mating practices of humans—with our highly evolved means of communication (texting), sophisticated forms of romance (get ‘er drunk!), and refined ability to rise above the lustful urges of the loin (porno mags)—to the mating practices of others in the animal kingdom, but I just had to. After all, the dreaded parental talk is supposed to be about “the birds and the bees,” but why? Yes, we’re all programmed to procreate, but what can we humans possibly learn from sparrows and bumblers.

As it turns out, quite a bit. After a brief flip through my high school biology book, I realized there is a wonderfully seedy underbelly to the seemingly sterile insect world. And the hot and heavy pulsating action isn’t just reserved for insects and animals, but plants take part as well. Between the orchids and the honeybees, the basics (and then some) are covered. I’m talking threesomes, gender roles, sperm banking, S&M, transvestites, and getting a date drunk so you can have your way. That’s a lot for six legs and a couple of petals. Read on >>