This Flower is a Real Stinker
Dung beetles may not be a very pleasant subject, but after all, someone has to do the housekeeping. So God created what man has classified into 30,000 species of dung beetle. Many will form their finds into a ball about the size of a croquet ball and roll it home for the wife and kids. Others tunnel beneath a find and set up housekeeping there.
A purple flower in Borneo, however, cuts into the productivity of one of the tunneling species without giving it anything in return. This flower smells, not like a rose, but like dung. It relies primarily on this dung beetle for pollination. Studies show that most other pollinators will examine the flower, but perhaps put off by the smell, won't attempt to pollinate it. But the dung beetle is a successful pollinator as it searches the flower for food. The flower's unpleasant odor seems designed to do nothing other than fool the beetle into pollinating it. It apparently offers the beetle nothing.
It would be nonsense to say that this flower designed this strategy to attract a beetle able to pollinate it. It would be just as silly to say that the impersonal forces of evolution designed this deceptive plant. Only an all-powerful, all-wise Creator could have designed this relationship, which intricately weaves together needs and abilities to make the whole creation work!
Isaiah 40:28
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, give us more wisdom and understanding, that we may be more like You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Ref: S. Milius, “Stinking beauty betrays dung beetles,” Science News.
Mark W. Cadwallader: This flower is a real stinker. Learn about it next on today's Creation Moment. And now, here's our Creation Moment host, Ian Taylor.
Ian T. Taylor: Dung beetles may not be a very pleasant subject, but after all, somebody has to do the housekeeping. So God created what man has classified into 30,000 species of dung beetles. Many will roll their prize into a ball about the size of a croquet ball and roll it home for the wife and kids.
Others tunnel underneath their prize and set up housekeeping there. Now, there is a purple flower in Borneo which cuts into the productivity of one of the tunneling species of dung beetle without giving it anything in return. This flower smells like dung. It relies primarily on this dung beetle for pollination.
Studies show that most other pollinators will examine the flower but, perhaps put off by the smell, don't attempt to pollinate it. However, the dung beetle is a successful pollinator as it searches the flower for food. The flower's unpleasant odor seems designed to do nothing other than fool the beetle into pollinating it. It apparently offers the beetle nothing.
This is an example of a flower imitating the dung of an animal to fool the beetle into pollinating it. It would be nonsense to say that this flower designed this strategy to attract a beetle able to pollinate it. It would be just as silly to say that the impersonal forces of evolution designed this deceptive plant.
Only an all-powerful, all-wise creator could have designed this relationship, which intricately weaves needs and abilities to make the whole creation work.
Mark W. Cadwallader: For a free copy of Ian Taylor's book, 25 Short Answers to Big Questions about Creation, visit us at creationmoments.com or call us toll-free at 1-800-422-BIBLE. That's 1-800-422-24253. And be sure to join us next time for a new Creation Moment.
Featured Offer
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Mark Cadwallader brings a curated and updated collection of his essays, including new ones, celebrating the important principles of freedom that still echo from the Garden of Eden today. God is not looking for robots, programmed to serve and obey Him. He wants us free!
Featured Offer
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Mark Cadwallader brings a curated and updated collection of his essays, including new ones, celebrating the important principles of freedom that still echo from the Garden of Eden today. God is not looking for robots, programmed to serve and obey Him. He wants us free!
About Creation Moments
Founded in 1963, Creation Moments remains committed to building up the Church and enlightening the world to the wonders of God's creation. For more than sixty years, this ministry has proclaimed the truth of biblical creation and provided irrefutable evidence that the Bible can be trusted from the very first verse to the last. In addition to its international creation-evangelism and radio outreach, Creation Moments offers hundreds of free resources on the Bible and science at its website: CreationMoments.com.
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About Ian T. Taylor & Mark W. Cadwallader
Ian T. Taylor
For most people, Ian Taylor will always be the voice of Creation Moments. He was born in the UK and lived in Canada until his passing. We were honored and blessed to have such a wonderful and dedicated creationist as part our ministry for so many years. Even now, his radio broadcast programs endure to reach others with the message about the awesome and intricate creation of an awesome and loving God.
Mark W. Cadwallader
Mark is Board Chairman of Creation Moments and has served on the Board since 1996. He holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston and has worked as an applied materials scientist and engineer in plastics, specialty chemicals, oil additives, and pollution control for over 30 years. Mark credits the ministry for opening his faith as a young man to the unerring credibility of the Bible in all areas including science, and thus helping to transform his life. Mark has published over 100 articles and conference papers in his scientific field of expertise as well as in Creation Science and apologetics. He writes the Creation Moments monthly newsletter as well as most of the blog articles posted on the ministry’s website. He has also authored books, including “Creation Spelled Out for Us All” and “The Beauty of Truth”.
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