Why do flowers have fragrance?

It’s early evening, and while taking a stroll you are hit by a strong, but sweet smell of Honeysuckle flowers. At night it gets even stronger. But why do flowers have a fragrance? A one-liner answer would be – to attract ‘pollinators’! Without pollination flowers cannot produce seeds, and without seeds they cannot produce more plants. Flowers are actually quite clever! Flowers that are pollinated by moths, like the Honeysuckle, release a scent at night. Bees and butterflies are attracted to sweet smells. This the reason why several flowers have such a nice smell. Flowers with spicy and musty or fruity smells attract beetles. Scent is actually a mixture of various ‘chemical compounds’ that are released by flowers for both long and short distances. Scent is more useful than colours. It is interesting to know that various flowers might be similar in shape, size and color, no two floral scents are alike! There are some flowers that produce scent only when they are ready for pollination. Even animals are attracted by floral fragrances. Bats pollinate night-blooming flowers. Some carnivorous plants, like the Venus Fly Trap or the Pitcher Plant, emit strong, scents to lure insects for their next meal. But not all flowers have a nice smell. The biggest flower in the world, Rafflesia, has to attract carrion flies; therefore, it produces a smell of rotting meat! YUCK! So, you probably shouldn’t try to plant these in your garden!