Pollination

• Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male anther to the female stigma in a flower. In flowers like the pea flower the stigma is an opening located in the center of the flower on top of a vase-like structure called the style. Together, the style and stigma are called the pistil. Surrounding the pistil are the male stamens. They consist of a stalk-like structure called a filament on top of which rests the pollen-producing anther. There are two types of pollination: self pollination and cross pollination. Peas are self pollinating, meaning the transfer of pollen from anther to stigma within the same flower can result in fertilization.
  
  

Fertilization

• Once pollen is deposited on the stigma, it grows what is called a pollen tube. This tube reaches down the style and into the ovary. Inside the ovary are ovules; if these ovules are fertilized, they become seeds. Occasionally you'll pop open a pea pod and see four or five plump peas and one small, flat one. That flat pea is an unfertilized ovule.
  
  

Pollinators

• Peas need some help getting the pollen from the anther to the stigma. Bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles, flies, birds and even the wind are all flower pollinators. When a bee lands on a flower and begins shuffling around, feeding on nectar and collecting pollen for himself, he'll knock some of the pollen from the anther to the stigma, thus pollinating the flower.
  
  

Protecting Pollinators

• A successful garden relies, in part, on pollinators. Attracting them to your garden and protecting them once they're there is important. There are a few ways to entice pollinators. Plant native nectar plants around your vegetable garden. Use many different colors of flowers in your garden. Bees, for example, can only see yellow, white, blue and ultra violet. Butterflies are attracted to reds and purples. Building a bee box can attract solitary species of bees. Drill several small holes in a piece of wood and leave it on the ground for them. A patch of grass-free dirt can also attract the solitary bees as some of them nest in the soil. Avoid the use of pesticides whenever possible. Broad spectrum pesticides kill pests and pollinators alike. Your local county extension office will be able to provide you with pesticide-free methods of dealing with insect pests.