
Humans frequently use flowers to communicate with each other. For example, giving red roses could be considered a romantic gesture, while green orchids could signify health and strength. However, the purpose of flower colors in nature is much different than what humans use them for.
Flowers use color to communicate with animals to help with pollination. The color of the flower can have a huge impact on the types of animals it attracts and how well it’s pollinated. 75% to 90% of flowering plants need help from pollinators to reproduce, so these flowers use creative ways to ask creatures for assistance.
Flowers Use Colors for Pollination

Since plants cannot get up and grab pollen, they need other factors to help them. Plants rely on animals like birds and bugs to transport pollen from one flower to the next, pollinating them in the process. Yet, how do these animals know what flowers to interact with? The process is much more complex than humans typically realize.
Flowers can’t speak to animals, but they can use visual cues to attract the right animals. Plants grow in a wide variety of colors for more than just looks. Those colors are actually used to attract certain pollinators toward them.
Plants rely heavily on colors because their pollinators are usually flying creatures like birds, bees, and bats. When flying past, these animals will likely notice the flowers based on the colors, which can be seen from a distance. The colors may entice the pollinator to fly closer to investigate the plant, but they might’ve passed right by it if it had been a different color. So, flowers have evolved in appearance to appeal to the animals that pollinate them.
Different Colors Attract Different Animals
When a flower is a certain color, it’s almost as if it’s calling out to certain animals, asking those creatures to land on it. This is the flower’s way of communicating with the right pollinators. Animals know which flowers to fly toward because of the hues each flower displays.
Red Communicates With Birds

Red flowers usually only communicate with birds. Birds can see the color red, while most other pollinators, such as certain insects, can’t. So, insects may overlook beautiful red flowers while birds are drawn to the vibrant hue. When pollinator birds like hummingbirds approach a red flower, they can sip nectar from it. While doing so, pollen transfers from their feathers to the flower. So, it’s a win-win situation. The birds get delicious nectar while the flowers get pollinated.
In many cases, red flowers don’t have a strong smell, which prevents them from attracting unwanted animals. Birds don’t have an incredible sense of smell, so the lack of scent doesn’t matter to them. For birds, the color is more important. Similar colors, like pink and orange, may also appeal to birds.
Blue, Purple, and Yellow Communicate With Bees

Bees are likely the most well-known pollinators. When they land on flowers, pollen sticks to their legs and fuzzy bodies. The bees take some of the pollen home to feed their young, but some of the pollen brushes off on every flower they land on, which is why certain flowers want to attract bees.
Bees are most interested in blue, purple, and yellow, so flowers of those colors are specifically trying to get bees to notice them. Since bees want pollen and flowers want bees to land on them for pollination, both living things benefit from this process.
White Communicates With Moths and Bats

Sometimes, white flowers attract nocturnal animals like moths and bats. This is because white can be easier to see at night than other colors. White flowers often have a strong scent too that appeals to these animals, making them more likely to seek out white flowers than other colors. It’s not always a scent that humans will find appealing, but something about it interests nocturnal creatures.
Moths and bats can take nectar from these flowers, and in return, they spread some of the pollen that they’re carrying from landing on other flowers.
Brown Communicates With Flies

Brown flowers may not be as appealing to humans as more vibrant hues, but they can attract certain animals like flies. Flies are often attracted to dead or rotten things, so brown flowers share a similar color to the things they love. Some brown flowers may also emit a foul odor, reminding flies of the stinky foods they prefer.
As gross as it is, flies like to eat dead/rotten things, and they also like to lay their eggs on those objects so their offspring have something to eat. However, brown flowers don’t provide anything for flies to eat. Flies just mistake these flowers for something they perceive as delicious. So, flies don’t get anything out of landing on these flowers, but they’re helping pollinate the plants when they do so.
Green Doesn’t Communicate With Any Animals

Green flowers tend to blend in with the grass, trees, and other plants around them. The flowering part of the plant also blends in with the rest of it, such as its stem and leaves. So, these plants usually aren’t trying to communicate with anyone.
Flowers that don’t try to attract animals’ attention are usually capable of pollination without any help. Their pollen can be carried in the wind, allowing it to reach other flowers without the plants needing to do anything.
Some Pollinators Aren’t Picky About Colors

Most birds and insects have favorite flower colors, but some are pickier than others. Butterflies have many favorite colors and are drawn to a wide range of flowers.
Favorite colors of butterflies include purple, white, pink, yellow, red, and orange. So, most flowers are interesting to them.
Ultraviolet Coloring Attracts Special Visitors

Some flowers use coloring which the human eye can’t see. Luckily, many insects and birds have better eyesight than humans, allowing them to see a broader range of colors. Only about 7% of flowers include ultraviolet patterns, but those patterns are effective because only certain creatures can see them.
For example, flowers that want to communicate with bees sometimes have a circular ultraviolet shape on them, known as a “blue halo.” If bees spot a blue halo on a flower, they often feel more compelled to land on it. Some flowers also include ultraviolet stripes and other shapes to help guide pollinators toward pollen and nectar.
So, not only do animals have preferences different from ours when it comes to a flower’s appearance, but they could also be seeing flowers in completely different hues than what we see.
Flowers May Also Communicate Using Other Factors
Color plays a significant role in flower pollination, but it’s not the only aspect that draws animals toward plants. The flower’s shape, size, and decorations could all make an impact too. Here’s how those aspects might help a flower communicate.
Size

Bigger flowers may attract different animals than smaller ones. For example, large flowers make it easier for animals to see from afar, making them great for pollinators who don’t have amazing eyesight.
Large, open flowers are often preferred by animals that land on flowers to collect pollen, such as bees, rather than animals that can hover while drinking nectar.
Shape

In addition to size, the flower’s shape also matters. Some flowers are narrow with a small opening, indicating that they contain nectar for animals to drink.
A hummingbird can easily reach the nectar using a long beak, but an insect who needs to land on the surface of a flower probably won’t be interested in a plant of that shape. Butterflies prefer a shape that’s easy to rest on, so they don’t have to hover near a flower like a hummingbird would.
Scent

Scents often work with colors and shapes to attract animals, such as the foul-smelling plants that trick flies into landing on them. However, flower smells aren’t always deceptive. Many animals are attracted to flowers because they want a sip of the sweet nectar. So, if they smell a sugary scent on a flower, they may be drawn to it because they want some nectar. Nectar not only tastes and smells good to pollinators, but it also offers the nutrition they need.
Flowers need to create a very specific amount of nectar for pollination. They need enough to attract the pollinators but not so much that the animal stays at the flower for too long. If there’s more than enough nectar in one flower, the animal won’t have a reason to spread pollen to other flowers.
Design

Some flowers are more showy than others. They may have unique designs or petals of obscure shapes to help them stand out from similar flowers. Depending on the specific shape and pattern, they may appeal to some pollinators more than others.
Certain flowers also have designs that show pollinators where the pollen or nectar is. For example, one petal might stretch out further than the rest to encourage bees to land on it, and there could also be lines and spots that direct pollinators to the correct place.
Flowering Time

Of course, flowering time also plays a role in attracting pollinators. Plants flower at different times, so there’s always pollen and nectar available without too many plants competing at once. Pollinators will look for blooming flowers when deciding which plants to land on.