Hey there! Today, we’re talking about some amazing flowers. Squeaks and I were just watering some beautiful tulips. Tulips are my favorite because they’re so pretty, but I also love lilacs for their wonderful smell. Do you have a favorite flower?
Many flowers, like lilies, roses, and lilacs, smell really nice. But not all flowers have pleasant scents. Meet Trudy, a flower with a very different smell. Trudy is known as the smelliest flower in the world! Some people say it smells like diapers, rotting meat, or old eggs. Yuck!
Trudy is a type of flower called a corpse flower. Even though it smells bad, it’s still a flower, just like roses and lilies. Flowers are part of plants, which grow and change over time. Plants can be small, like lilies, or big, like the corpse flower.
Trudy lives in a botanical garden in Berkeley, California. It started as a tiny seed in the ground. When conditions are just right, seeds split open, and a new plant begins to grow. This process is called germination. The plant grows roots that suck up water and nutrients from the soil.
Many plants, including the corpse flower, grow flowers. If a plant is the flowering kind, it will develop a bud. As the plant grows, the bud opens, and petals unfold, revealing a beautiful flower!
Flowers are important for making new plants. They attract animals like birds, bees, flies, and beetles with their smell. These animals, called pollinators, search for food in the flowers and pick up sticky pollen. When they visit other flowers, they spread the pollen, helping to create new seeds and new plants. This process is called pollination.
Some pollinators, like beetles and flies, are attracted to the stinky smell of flowers like Trudy. To them, the smell is like a tasty meal! Corpse flowers are unique because they don’t bloom often. Some only open once every ten years, releasing their strong smell for a short time.
Even though Trudy smells bad, it’s doing its job by helping to make new plants. When a corpse flower blooms, many people come to see it, no matter how stinky it is!
If you’re curious about other plants or flowers, let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us at [email protected]. Thanks for learning with us, and see you next time!
Flower Scent Exploration: Go on a flower hunt in your garden or local park. Can you find flowers that smell sweet like lilacs or roses? What about flowers that have a different or unusual smell? Draw a picture of your favorite flower and describe its scent. Share your findings with a friend or family member and see if they agree with your descriptions!
Plant a Seed: Try planting a seed at home to see the magic of germination and blooming. You can use a small pot, some soil, and a seed from a flower you like. Water it regularly and observe how it changes over time. Keep a journal to record what you see each week. How long does it take for your plant to grow a bud and bloom into a flower?
Pollinator Watch: Spend some time outside observing insects like bees, butterflies, or flies. Which flowers do they visit the most? Why do you think they are attracted to those flowers? Draw a picture of a pollinator you see and the flower it visits. Discuss with a friend or family member why pollinators are important for flowers and plants.
