Deanna Gyulai, age 8, of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, for her question:

WHY DO PLANTS HAVE FLOWERS?

Flowers are the reproductive parts of flowering plants and trees. Seeds could not be developed and produced without flowers.

About 200,000 different types of flowers are grown in almost every part of the world. They range in size from the giant three foot rafflesia, which is found in Indonesia, to water blossoms so small you can only see them through the lens of a microscope.

We depend on flowers and flowering plants for our food. Included are almost all of our grains, fruits and vegetables. Even the animals that we use for food, such as sheep, pigs and cattle, live on flowering plants.

Flowers, in addition to playing an important part in keeping all life going, are also very decorative.