http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/denver-botanic-gardens-patrons-melissa-dulcey-left-and-bob-news-photo/484513708?et=gh4_AOt4QhBA6d_QHZkBcA&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.com%2Fread%2Fpost%2Fid%2F95493526%2F214

One of our Blogging 101 class assignments this week was to create a recurring blog post feature. I already had one, What Went Well Wednesdays, but I think I’ll add another, consistent with my renewed interest in fragrance and perfume, and lifelong interest in flowers and gardening. So welcome to Fragrance Fridays! I will post stories with a common thread of fragrance, scent or perfume — but not necessarily the kind that comes in a bottle. Here’s my first, about the rare blossoming of a Titan Arum, also known as the “corpse flower” at the Denver Botanic Gardens: Thousands Stop To Smell A Flower (And Hope Not To Gag), as reported by The New York Times. It gets its common name from the usual reaction that its blossom smells like rotting meat.

Okay, not a pleasant smell — but how fascinating! And it is really interesting to read how differently various visitors perceived the smell of the flower. Some smelled rotting meat but others smelled stinky cheese, gym socks, etc. The purpose of the scent is to attract specific insects that will then carry its pollen away, which is why most plants have evolved to emit fragrance, although some seem to use fragrance to repel. LiveScience.com explains more at: Denver Stinky Corpse Flower Blooms.