You see a flower in a garden, lean over, close your eyes, and inhale. “Ah,” you think, smiling, “the rich fragrance of—nothing! Not a scent! The flower has no smell at all!”
Not all flowers go to the trouble of having a scent. Only about one of every 250 known species does. Flowers create odors for one reason: to attract animal pollinators. (Sound familiar?) Flowers pollinated by the wind are scentless. So are some flowers that use tricks, traps, and devices other than scent to attract animals.
Flowers that have a smell usually lure in a certain animal. For example, sweet scents like lilac and lavender bring in bees and butterflies. They like sweet nectar.
Flower scents also attract another animal: humans. We use these smells in soaps, shampoos, and perfumes. They’re even in household cleaners.
