Shutterstock/Olha Rohulya
Why do humans like flowers? And do other non-pollinating animals also find flowers appealing, even when there is no obvious benefit?
Mike Follows
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK
The fact that we find flowers aesthetically pleasing probably stems from the fact that their appearance could signal the promise of fruit when our ancestors followed a subsistence, hunter-gatherer lifestyle and finding food was essential for survival. Their importance would have been celebrated during rituals, a tradition that survives to the present day in the use of flowers at weddings and funerals.
Now that we have largely conquered our basic needs such as food and safety, we can appreciate flowers for their intrinsic beauty and marvel at the patterns they display, such as petal numbers often tallying with those of the Fibonacci sequence.
Other animals aren’t in this position, and seek out flowers primarily as a food source. For example, honeybees collect protein (in pollen) and carbohydrate (in nectar) from them. Some animals eat flowers because they are easier to digest than tougher leaves or stems. Flower beetles chew petals, pollen, or entire blooms. Some monkeys include flowers in their diet.
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Flowers could signal the promise of fruit when our ancestors were following a subsistence, hunter-gatherer lifestyle
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Several animals use flowers for camouflage. For example, the orchid mantis mimics real flowers to ambush pollinators such as bees and butterflies. This also helps it escape detection by potential predators.
Perhaps some birds have an aesthetic sense. Male bowerbirds collect and arrange flowers among other colourful objects as part of their courtship displays, while manakins perform dances among bright flowers.
Philip Welsby
Glastonbury, Somerset, UK
Observation of humans sniffing flowers in garden centres suggests that noses could cross-pollinate.
John Kaye
Wokingham, Berkshire, UK
It may be that people simply enjoy the colour and scent of flowers.
I watch my cat walking around the garden looking at and smelling various flowers. She seems to particularly enjoy the sweet William and catmint.
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