Flowering plants need to get pollenDust-like grains that contain male sex cells (gametes) of flowering plants (angiosperms) and cone plants (gymnosperms). Pollen is made on the anthers of flowering plants. from one flower to another, either within a plant for self-pollination or between plants of the same species for cross-pollination to occur. However, pollen can’t move on its own, so animals or the wind (and water in rare cases) move the pollen for plants.