Super Smells We know some ways that flowers attract bats. Many that bloom in the day depend on bees, butterflies, and birds to carry their pollen to other flowers. To attract these pollinators, the flowers open during the day. T at’s when these animals are active. T e flowers use bright colors and sweet scents to call the animals. Flowers that attract bats do similar things,
but with a twist. First, most open only at night when these bats are active. T ey also give off a smell when they open. Many don’t smell sweet like daytime flowers, though. I know, because I’ve traveled around the world and smelled many night-blooming flowers. Some, like the sea bean, smell like garlic.
Other flowers smell more like onions. T at’s because many flowers that attract bats make a kind of sulfur that gives their blooms a slightly musty perfume. It’s clear that bats like these smells. T ese observations tell me that smell is an important way flowers call bats. Yet it’s not the only way.
Sights and Sounds I’ve noticed that some flowers that bats visit are pale yellow or white. T ey almost seem to have a faint glow, which makes them easier to see in the dark. T at tells me that these flowers also use light as a way to attract their pollinators. T ere’s a problem with that conclusion,
though. Some nights in the jungle are so dark that it’s hard for bats to see anything. T ey’d have to get pretty close to a white or yellow flower to spot it. Plus, many other bat-pollinated flowers are greenish or tan. I’ve even seen bats visit red flowers. T ese flowers are even harder to see in the dark. T at means bats must have another way to find flowers in a dark jungle that’s crowded with many plants. Maybe bats get lucky and find flowers
as they fly by. T at doesn’t seem like a good answer, though. T at’s why I think Simon’s theory that flowers can call bats is so exciting. He argues that some flowers grow special parts that reflect sounds that bats can hear.
This fl ower makes a strong garlic smell to help a bat fi nd it in the dark.
20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER
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