01x32 - Flight of the Pollinators

[bunniefuu]

Hey, it's the Kratt Brothers.
I'm Martin.

And I'm Chris and we're checking
out the world of flowers.

Because when you look closely
at flowers,

you'll be amazed at what
cool creatures you'll find.

Okay, fan out!

Okay, here's a Bumble bee
drinking nectar from a flower.

Nectar is a sweet sugar water
that the flower makes.

Look at him sticking his
proboscis in between the petals.

That's where all the nectar is.

But why do these plants go
through all that trouble

making flowers and sweet sugar
water for the bees to drink.

Well you can think of it
as a kind of payment.

Payment for delivering a very
special and important package.

See those little yellow clumps
on the end of the flower?

It's called pollen.

Those are the packages that the
flower needs to be delivered.

From this flower to...

to another flower.

And he's the guy who's
going to do it.

Bees get covered
with sticky pollen

when they drink the nectar,

then they fly to another flower
to drink more nectar

and some of the
pollen falls off.

Yes! And the
delivery's complete.

Now this flower
will develop seeds

that will grow new plants
just like that one.

This process is called
pollination

and lots of creatures are part
of it. The pollinators

and even deadly predators
like this bee-eating spider.

Imagine what it would be like to
travel with the pollinators

and see exactly how
they do what they do.

BOTH:
What if?

♪ On adventure with
the coolest creatures ♪

♪ From the oceans
to the trees ♪

♪ The Brothers Kratt are going
places you never get to see ♪

♪ Hanging with
their creature friends ♪

♪ Get ready, it's the hour ♪

♪ We're gonna save
some animals today with ♪

♪ Creature Power ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild, wild ♪

♪ Cheetah speed
and lizard glide ♪

♪ Falcon flight
and lion pride ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Go wild, wild, Wild Kratts ♪

Woo-hoo! Gaining altitude.

Nearing launch point and...

Target in sight. Now!

Woo-hoo!

Huh?

What did you say?

Talk a little louder.

Uh, Martin, I hate to break it
to you, but plants don't talk.

No, no. It's Chris.
I'm talking to Chris.

Okay, this is going
from bad to worse.

That is a plant.
It's not your brother.

No, it-- There!

I see you now, Chris.

Check it out, Aviva.

Whoa! Chris,
what are you doing?

Oh ho. Today's the day!

We're getting that honeybee
footage we always wanted.

Oh... He won the coin toss,
so he gets to do the filming,

while I stand guard and make
sure nothing goes wrong.

Well, I always like to see my
miniaturizer put to good use.

Oh, this'll be good, all right.
The ultimate, super close-up

of exactly what a bee does
inside these flowers.

MARTIN:
What's it like in there Chris?

It's amazing.
Like a forest of stamens.

Stamens? What are those?

They're these long st*lks

with the yellow-ish orange
stuff on top.

That yellow-ish orange-y
stuff is--

Oof! Oh...

Pollen!

Wow. They're sticky.
They have to be to...

MARTIN:
Chris, incoming!

All set.

He's a honey bee.

Kind of cute little guy.

You call that cute?

You may not be cute,
but you are beautiful.

A beautiful beast.

"Bee-st."

Beast!
Let's call her Beast.

Whoa! Whoa!

Who needs seat belts,

when you got a sticky pollen
seat to sit on?

Are you getting that
nectar drinking, Chris?

Huh?

Oh yeah.

Drink it up, Beast.

Wow, that pollen is sticking all
over her furry face.

I know how you feel, Beast.

Pollen sticks
to everything. Whoa!

Chris, you're like
a giant pollen grain.

Ha. Cool!

But I'll just hop off,
in case you--

(Struggling)

Ah... I'm stuck!

BOTH:
Stuck!?

Hold still, Beast.

I'm just going to give
my brother a hand...

Well, a couple of
fingers anyway.

Uh-oh. I had a feeling
you were ready for take off!

What?

This mission is going bee-zerk!

Follow that bee!

Uh-oh.

Chris, which bee are you on?

CHRIS:
The one to your right.

Must be that one.

No, no, I'm behind you.

I've got you this time.

I'm on my way!

Oh, great. When they come to,
who knows where I'll "bee..."

We lost Chris!

Koki!

Can you pick up his creature pod
signal and track him?

No problem.

Lost in the rainforest? Oh man.
That's my worst nightmare.

And he's miniaturized.
Only about the size of...

that freckle.

Now you're freaking me out.

And stuck to a bee's face.

Hmm...

Anything yet, Koki?

Not yet.
It won't be easy

finding a freckle-sized
Kratt Brother

in a tropical rainforest!

Call me when you do. I was
supposed to watch his back.

I got to keep looking!

Well, this definitely
wasn't part of the plan

and I have no idea
where we're going,

but could this be any cooler?!

Ha ha!

Woo! And look no hands.

I'm stuck on with pollen!

More flowers below.

Hey Beast, you still hungry?

You did it.

For yourself,
you found another flower

with more nectar to drink.

And, for the plant,
you moved these pollen grains

from the last flower
to this flower.

Pollen delivery complete.

Now this plant has what it
needs to make more plants.

AVIVA:
Hmm... pollen, pollen.

JZ, could you pass me that book?

Okay, if Chris
is a pollen grain,

I need to know
all about pollen grains.

Uh, they're round and sticky.
That was easy.

No! Check it out.

The pollen grain
from one plant

is taken to another plant
by a bee.

When the pollen sticks to this
part, the pistil,

it sends down a tube.
That fertilizes the plant.

Then seeds can
develop right here.

And those seeds will
grow into new plants.

Aww... itty-bitty widdle
baby plants.

They're so cute.

Guys, I locked in on Chris's
location! Sending coordinates.

Whew! I'm on my way, Chris.

Ah, take your time, bro.

I'll just be hanging out
in this flower.

It's comfy and smells
great in here.

Ahh, Beast, this is the life.

Just flying around,
from flower to flower,

drinking sweet nectar.

It's like a vacation.

Whoa. Vacation's over!

Look out! Crab spider!

Uh-oh... look out
for those jaws!

Go, go go.
Quick, quick, quick.

Yes, Beast! You made it

Uh-oh...

Uh, okay Martin.
Now you can hurry!

I'm here!

But which
flower are you in?

Oh, just the one with
the giant yellow spider

that wants to eat me!

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I'm not a bee or a bug.

And I don't want
a hug, thanks!

Aahh! Oof!

Whoa!

Chris, Where are you?

Over here!

I see you!

Waahh!

Got you!

What? No way.
I was going to make that grab!

A hummingbird?

It looks like I'm back to
being a... pollen grain!

Whoa. Whoa!

Oh no.

Oh, I can't believe it.
I almost had him.

Don't worry, Martin. That
hummingbird came out of nowhere.

I know, but Chris and I--
we're creature adventurers.

We're supposed to watch each
other's backs out there.

I'm not getting a signal
from his Creaturepod anymore.

Okay, if I were
a hummingbird,

what kind of flower
would I go to?

Red! Hummingbirds
like red flowers.

They can see red colors
really well.

Oh...

And the flowers don't
have to smell good,

because birds can't
smell anyway.

And look at the shape of them.
They're long, and tube-like.

Okay, I'm on it.

Red, tube-shaped flowers, that
don't have to be smelly.

Wow. You know,
you really have the moves!

No wonder you're the most
maneuverable bird on the planet.

Hoo-hoo!

Left... right...

up... down...

backwards... forwards...

Even upside down!

Ha. And I love how
you hover in place.

The perfect flying moves for
sipping nectar from flowers.

And it's all because
of those wings!

Up to wing beats per second.

So fast, they're
just a blur. Whoa!

I'm a hummingbird.

I'm attracted to red flowers, so
this is where I'd go for nectar.

Yes! Chris, you there?

Amazing.

This flower is the perfect shape
for a hummingbird beak.

Ha, and it's made so the pollen
is placed right on her forehead.

Ahem.

Martin, you're supposed to be
looking for your brother.

Are you getting
distracted again?

Uh... no... I'm just... uh...

CHRIS:
Guys, I see you. I'm coming in
on the next hummingbird.

See? I found him.

Target flower in sight.
We're coming home!

All right, Chris.
Am I ever glad to see you.

Just grab onto the life ring
when you get close enough.

No problem.

Woo-hoo!

Pollen grains get the best rides

in the entire creature world.

Okay... got it,
got it, got it.

Whoa!

Eyelash viper. Look out!

Unbelievable. I had no idea
the viper was there.

He's perfectly camouflaged

against the color
of the flowers.

Not only did we know a
hummingbird would show up here,

but he did too.
Pollinator predators are sneaky.

And Chris is still zipping
around somewhere.

Whew. Now that was
a close one, Flash.

This world of pollination
sure is a wild ride!

Hey! You guys do perch
on branches.

You know, a lot of people think
you never stop flying.

Now's my chance to un-stick.

Then Martin can just
pick me up here!

Whoa!

Hmm... What are these
gourd things anyway?

Pollen Grain to Tortuga,
come in!

Chris! Where are you, dude?

I'm off the hummingbird.

And now it looks like I'm on
some kind of-- whoa!

Chris.

Chris! Oh no!

What happened now?

Oh no!

This just went from bad to
worse. I'm trapped!

They'll never find me in here.

If I could just get
to that little hole.

Whoa!

Well, at least these little
flowers are soft.

Flowers!? They're flowers.

And where there's a flower,
there's pollen.

And where there's pollen,
there's usually a pollinator!

Ha! That pollinator,
whoever it is,

is going to be my ride
out of here.

I hope...

Okay, pollinators.
I'm one of you, now.

Chris must be on
another pollinator

and if I think like a
pollinator, I might find him.

It's working, Aviva.
I'm picking up all the smells

that plants give off
to attract us pollinators.

Great, I made it just like a
real bee's antennae.

Able to detect even the tiniest
flower smell in the air

and tell the difference between
hundreds of different flowers

from really far away.

Who needs a nose
when you've got antennae?

I'd keep the nose, you'd look
pretty strange without it.

(Beeping)

Huh? Martin?

Whoa!

Strong smell
coming from that way!

Good luck!

MARTIN:
Oh yeah, definitely this way.

This smell is off the charts.

Lead me to you, flower.

Nectar!

A kinkajou. Amazing.

It's not only insects
that pollinate flowers.

Some mammals do too.

Chris?! Are you there?

Just checking.

(Sniffing)

Oh. A good sniffer
to find the flower

and a long tongue
to lap up the nectar.

Hey, let me have a taste.

Aahhh!

Whoa!

I could use that tail too.

KOKI:
Wow! Plants even know how to
lure in night-time creatures

like kinkajous, rodents,
and bats.

These plants can lure in
just about anything.

Some even make their flowers
look like another insect

so that when a bee
comes to attack it,

they get covered with pollen.

And my favorite...

The ones that smell like
rotten meat to attract flies.

Cool!

These plants know
all the tricks in the book.

That's it! We've got to think
like a plant!

Plants don't think.

But the way nature
designed them is smart.

So if we use all
their tricks,

we can lure in any
pollinator out there.

And the more pollinators
that come to the party,

the more likely one
will be carrying Chris!

I think I know just
the thing we can build.

CHRIS:
Hello... anybody out there?

Hmm, the pollen
is ready to be taken away.

But where's the
pollinator?

(Squishing sounds)

Huh? Oh, now we've
got dancing flowers!?

Whoa! I can't believe it!

A newly hatched fig wasp!

And another... and another!

Oh boy, am I glad to see you.

The fig flower
pollinators are born!

I get it. This whole thing works
for the fig and the fig wasp.

The plant gave your mom these
nice safe gourds

to lay her eggs in.

And, when you hatch,
you get covered with pollen

as you head for the exit hole.

Does that mean you're on
your way to another fig?

Wherever you're going,
I'm going too. Wait for me!

Let's ride pollinator.

The Pollinator Attractor
is almost done!

I think it has every single
pollination trick there is.

Reds for hummingbirds,
oranges for butterflies?

Check.

Smelly perfumes for bees and
rotten carcass smells for flies?

Check.

Traps?
Check.

Fake bees to trick
other bees?

Check, check, check.
It got them all.

If this doesn't lure in whatever
pollinator Chris is attached to,

nothing will.

All right.
Start 'er up, Aviva!

(Radar pinging)

AVIVA:
Calling all pollinators!

AVIVA AND MARTIN:
Calling all pollinators!

That didn't take long!

It's a pollinator swarm!

(Buzzing)

It's working, all right!

Huh? What is going on!?

That's a lot of pollinators.

Chris, are you out there?

Chris!

Aviva! Martin, over here.

On the wasp.

MARTIN:
I didn't see him,
but I heard him.

Follow that wasp!

Oww... Activate Bee Power!

Chris. Hop on!

Too sticky.
Meet us at the fig gourd.

She was just born inside one and
now she's finding another one

to lay her eggs in.
Like that one.

A fig gourd?

Quick. Un-stick me!

Thanks, bro!

No problem, dude.

See ya, Figgy!

She found a fig to lay
her own eggs in

and delivered the fig pollen
at the same time!

Whoa, speaking of pollen,

look at all these
lost pollen grains.

There are plants out there
waiting for these!

BOTH:
To the pollen grain rescue!

Hey Flash, Drop this
pollen grain off

at the next heliconia
you visit, okay?

Take it away, pal.

Beast. I'm loving being a bee.

Let's see... this one goes to
the primrose willow plant.

Get it there safely, buddy.

Fig pollen delivered
by fig wasps.

And kinkajou pollinates
the balsa flower.

Right on target, Chris.

Yeah! Woo hoo!

Mission accomplished.
We got Chris back.

Thanks a lot for having my back!

But I got to admit,
that was one cool adventure.

The world of pollination
is amazing.

Yeah, and all those
pollen grains

should have made it
to their flowers by now.

Hey guys. What happens again
when a pollen grain

gets to another flower?

The answer's in your mouth.

In my mouth?

That's right.

Without that fig wasp, you
wouldn't be eating that fig.

Hmm?

Only when the flowers
are pollinated

can those gourds turn into
figs with seeds inside.

Here's to plants
and their pollinators.

Uh, Chris, is this
fig from the gourd

you were walking around in?

Nope. That one is.

(Laughing)

So pollination is one of the
most important relationships

between plants and animals.

Animals get that sweet
sugary nectar to eat...

And the plants are able
to make seeds

which are usually in some kind
of fruit or vegetable.

See all these fruits
and vegetables?

They started out as flowers.
Come on, we'll show you.

This plant has
bright yellow flowers

that offer nectar to bees.

And here come the bees.

The bee's inside
the flower right now

and as he crawls around in there
drinking up the nectar,

he gets covered with pollen.

See, it even goes on my finger.

And... there he goes.

Okay, let's follow that bee as
he takes the pollen

from this flower to...

There!

Where is he?

That way, that way!

(Laughing)

Oh, there he is!
Here, here!

Nope, he went back that way!

No, there, there!

Here!

And now that
flower is pollinated.

And in two weeks that flower
will transform into...

a yellow zucchini.

And there are the seeds that
will make new plants.

Check out how the transformation
from flower to zucchini happens.

There's the pollinated flower.

Then the flower dies as the
zucchini begins to grow.

It gets bigger and bigger
until it's ready to pick.

And it's not just these kinds of
fruits and seeds

that are made by pollination,

all kinds of wild fruits and
seeds are made that way too.

Hey, Chris! Check out this
chipmunk over here eating seeds.

The flowers of this tree
made these seeds...

And that's what
the chipmunk is feasting on.

How's it going up there?

He loves it.

MARTIN:
Chris, what are you doing?

CHRIS:
Planting zucchini seeds.

Now that the plants
and bees have made the seeds,

new zucchini plants can grow.

Pollination is incredible.

This needs soil and water

and then we're going
to more zucchinis.

Yeah! We'll see you
on the creature trail.

♪

BOTH:
We'll see you there!