Petals

Not just a pretty face, petals and flowers are the factories that produce nectar, pollen, and fragrance. Their fragrance, while generally attractive, may also protect from herbivores or communicate readiness for fertilization.

Varied and beautiful, often fragrant, complex or simple, showy or small, they serve their plants by attracting pollinators through visual and aromatic means.

Some of the stories in the book tell of:

• Roses both simple and complex, ancient and modern, and those scented with spice, citrus, myrrh, tea, and iconic notes of ‘rose’

• White flowers like tobacco, gardenia, and jasmine that are masters of blending aromatic molecules to breathe out perfume

• Violets, not necessarily shy but purposely attractive using fragrance and color patterns to draw in pollinators