Most flowers are ostentatious showoffs, with everything about them designed to shout, “Look at me! Smell me and touch me!”
Their bright colors, strong fragrances, and big, fancy petals are all supposed to draw attention—but whose attention, and why?
The only purpose of every flower is to reproduce and create new plants. Some flowers need the assistance of bees, butterflies, and other animals, so they put on a “flower show” of color and fragrance to draw in helpers.
It may be noticeable, but the flower show doesn’t last long. Within just a few days or weeks, the blooms dry up and die. A plant keeps flowers going just long enough to let them perform their one and only—but very important—job.
