A telltale hint was on the bee’s knees.
An analysis of 127 fossil flowers, flower buds and bees from central Germany revealed pollen particles that precisely matched ancient flowers to their pollinators. The fossils date to around 24 million years ago. While evidence of earlier pollen-covered insects exists, this is the oldest example of a direct pollination relationship observed between any two species, researchers report September 22 in New Phytologist.
“The mere presence of pollen adhered to the body of a fossil bee only confirms the insect made floral visits,” says Constanza Peña-Kairath, a specialist in ancient insect pollination formerly at the University of Barcelona who was not involved