Can you smell this ?

Fragrant flowers being destroyed by pollution

By Laura Clout
Telegraph.co.uk

The scent of flowers may become a thing of the past, say researchers, who suggest pollution is destroying the natural perfume.

As well as swamping the more delicate fragrances, pollution breaks down the natural scents that flowers emit to attract insects. It also reduces the distance the fragrance can travel, meaning that bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects are less likely to be drawn to the flower, says the study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment.

Flowering plants can also absorb pollutants, making them less attractive to insects.

Scientists believe this explains the marked decline of some plants and the insects they rely on for pollination.

Jose Fuentes, a professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, who led the study said: "The greater the amount of pollutants in the air, the greater the rate of destruction of the flower scents."


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