Why do flowers have a special smell?

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Would you ever guess that the reason flowers smell so nice is because it helps them to make more flowers??

Many flowers rely on insects and birds (like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds) to help them with pollination. Pollen is a dusty, powdery substance produced naturally by plants. In order to reproduce and make more plants, many flowers need their pollens transferred from one flower to the next! Some flowers rely on the wind to carry their pollens, but other need the help of insects and animals!

In order to attract bees and butterflies and hummingbirds to visit, flowers produce their beautiful fragrance! The pretty smell helps these creatures to know that the flower is ready to be pollinated and signals them to come on by! These special pollinators then go from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, which is helpful for both the insect or animal AND the flower: The pollinators use the nectar or pollen for food, and the flowers have their pollens transferred so they can reproduce! AWESOME!!

Do you know the word for a bunch of flowers? It's bouquet, which comes from French. Try saying it like “boo-kay.”

Because flowers look very pretty and smell very nice, lots of people enjoy getting them as gifts. As a special treat, draw or make a bouquet of paper flowers for someone in your family or one of your friends, and then give them to that person as a big surprise! You can even ask a grown-up if they have a little bit of perfume you can spray on the paper to make the flowers smell just like a real bouquet!