Insect pollinators see the light

Sunflecks - direct patches of light that penetrate tree canopies and strike the forest floor - can have a huge effect on the microhabitat of the plants, animals and microbes below. A new study indicates that plants that can grow in either sunny or shaded sites may be visited by different insect pollinators, depending on the light intensity: in general, whereas large insects such as flies prefer shaded areas, smaller insects such as bees will preferentially visit plants in sunny spots.