Assistance needed.

[psychowoof]

O.k., one of my students in Human Sexuality posed a question to which I did not know the answer. I plan to do some Googling later, but figured many minds on the task would help.

The question: "How did the phrase 'the birds and the bees' come to refer sex?" As in, sitting a kid down and having a talk about the birds and the bees.

Comments

[mdsteele47]

It's by no means definitive, but Wikipedia suggests that the origins are from Coleridge.

[jeffkimball]

Cecil agrees.

[justducky2204]

i think it comes from a samuel coleridge poem...

maybe "work without hope"? i vaguely remember having to memorize it when i was in high school...

i'll have to look it up...when i wake up...