Picture trying to survive in hives in meadows, gardens and forests around the world. For many animals, a habitat like this would be impossible. Yet the honeybee, a insect about 1.5 centimeters long, thrives there, thanks to features that scientists call adaptations: traits that help a living thing survive in its environment.
Consider hairy legs with tiny baskets: this adaptation carry pollen back to the hive. The word pollen refers to a fine yellow powder that flowers make. Equally important is a stinger, which protects the hive from enemies. Without these traits, the honeybee would struggle to last a single season.
As a herbivore, the honeybee is an animal that eats only plants; it depends on flower nectar and pollen. Its behavior matters as much as its body: it does a waggle dance to tell other bees where to find flowers. Behaviors like this are adaptations too, even though you cannot see them in a photograph.
The next generation faces the same challenges. Young honeybees, called larvae, depend on their surroundings and on adult care. Worker bees feed the larvae and keep them warm inside wax cells.
Perhaps most remarkable of all: bees carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps plants make seeds and fruit. Facts like this remind us that every animal's body tells a story about the place it lives.