ARTHUR FIRSTENBERG DEC 27, 2023          READ

Field pansies from seeds collected in the late 1990s and early 2000s were grown next to pansies from seeds collected in 2021. Self-pollination rates were 27% higher in the plants grown from the newer seeds. The flowers were smaller. The petals were shorter. The labella — the landing platforms that attract insects — were smaller. The flowering time was shorter. Fewer flowers opened per day. The nectar spurs were shorter, there were fewer nectar guides, and the flowers produced less nectar. More bumblebees visited the flowers that grew from the old seeds than from the new seeds.