The pollinator beetles and other insects as well as some birds play havoc with the initial neat appearance of the Protea coronata flowerhead. As one of the bearded proteas, P. coronata does not open widely. The involucral bracts remain clasped around the cluster of perianths, unlike the development of some other proteas like P. repens or P. aurea.

This means that the pollinators have to burrow or mine a bit to reach their goal, ensuring unwittingly that sufficient pollen is deposited on their bodies for offloading in the next flower. The result is the dishevelled look of the flowerhead in the picture. This phenomenon was seen on many flowerheads in September near Greyton.

The long-beaked sunbirds have learnt shortcuts for reaching the nectar of this protea. They push their sharp beaks through the involucral bracts on the side of the flowerheads to get at the juice. Thus they keep their faces clean and leave all the pollination duties to the insects that enter at the top. Every species lives as best it can!

The blooming season for this plant lasts long, from autumn to spring. This provides a feeding facility to loyal pollinators for a generous period of time, taking into account the variety of lifestyles that characterise their numerous service providers (www.plantzafrica.com).