Many flowers use visual cues to attract pollinators: showy petals and sepals, nectar guides, shape, size, and color. Members of the lily family such as the trout lily have very showy sepals and petals that are indistinguishable and are technically called tepals.

How do flower petals attract pollinators?

Bees pollinate flowers with sweet, light fragrances like those found in sages, mints and clovers. Petals scented in strong sweet scents attract night-feeding pollinators, especially moths. Petals have adapted to make rotten flesh scents that attract moth and fly pollinators.

Why do flowers attract pollinators to visit them?

The majority of flowering plants encourage insects to visit their flowers by secreting a sugar-rich liquid called nectar. This nectar collects in pools, below the sexual organs of the plant. As the insect enters the flower in search of nectar it brushes against the anthers (pollen bearing male parts of the flower).