Female catkin

Birches flower from mid-April to early June, although this picture is one of an already pollinated flower, known as a catkin. This female catkin is the place where the birch tree's seeds, or "nutlets", develop and grow. This female catkin has already been pollinated by a male catkin's pollen and will disperse its seeds in the early to late fall (usually October, though will be earlier if birds feed on, break them open).

Male catkin

A free content image taken from www.themondaygarden.com

These male catkins (not from the tree at Davis High because they grow to full length and size in late summer) contain thousands of haploid pollen grains that will at some point be blown away by the wind and hopefully will come into contact with and fertilize a female catkin (as pictured above).

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