Fertilisation of Orchids
The book describes how the relationship between insects and plants resulted in the beautiful and complex forms which had fascinated many naturalists. By showing how adaptations develop step by step, Darwin countered the view that beautiful organisms were the handiwork of a Creator. Darwin's painstaking observations, experiments, and detailed dissection of the flowers explained previously unknown features. such as the puzzle of Catasetum, three completely different kinds of flowers. Darwin discusses how the Sack-Shaped Catasetum (Catasetum saccatum), a tropical South American species, launches its sticky pollen sacs with explosive force when an insect touches a hair (seta). His friend Thomas Huxley said "Do you really think I can believe all that?"