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Why do humans like flowers?

The flowers off the Mansanita bushes are edible. Also,

* Artichoke (flower bud)
* Broccoli (flower buds)
* Cauliflower (flower buds)
* Chamomile (for tea)
* Chives (flowers or buds)
* Chrysanthemum (flower)
* Citrus blossoms (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit)
* Clover
* Daisies (Bellis perennis quills)
* Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale leaves, roots, flowers, petals, buds)
* Daylilies (Hemerocallis buds, flowers, petals)
* Elderflower (blossoms for drink)
* Hibiscus
* Honeysuckle
* Jasmine (for tea)
* Lilac (salads)
* Nasturtium (blossoms and seeds)
* Osmanthus fragrans (flower)
* Pansies (Viola x Wittrockiana flowers, petals)
* Pot Marigolds (Calendula officinalis petals with white heel removed)
* Roses (Rosa petals with white heel removed, rose hips)
* Sesbania grandiflora (flower)
* Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus buds, petals, seeds)
* Violet ('leaf and flowers in salads, candied flowers for pastry decoration')
* Zucchini blossoms (blossoms)

Are edible.
 
That's an interesting question. Also, why should they smell good to us? It's not like we're going to be pollinating them. Maybe it's just because the sugar water they use to attract bees is also sugar we could use.

Then again, I like trees and pine cones and sunsets too, and it's more aesthetic than utilitarian. I suspect flowers are part of the "like to look at" set by coincidence more than by design.
 
The fact that we like flowers has been of great evolutionary use to the flowers. We even build special houses to raise them in places they otherwise thrive.

Why look at it as a human adaptation? In reality, flowers have a look that benefits them.

The bright colors and sweet smells that make flowers attractive are the same signals that distinguish fruit for us, which carries vital sugars and nutrients.
 
If we assume that flowers have adjusted over time to appeal to us (and that it isn't just a coincidence), it could be that by picking the ones we like and bringing them around us, we distribute their seeds to a more supportive environment. Maybe even to our nearby 'fertilizer' patches.
 
We see flowers as being pretty for the same reason we love the stars, a sunset/sunrise, mountains, the tropical ocean, and all other forms of natural beauty. It's coincidence. It's still beautiful though.
 
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It's like asking why we sow and harvest certain plants, but not others, when certainly the number of edible plants far exceeds our commonly consumed ones.

Preference.
 
Perhaps we have evolved to associate the smell of flowers etc with the idea of growth and abundance? This would have been useful when foraging for food.
 
It could be that the presence of flowers was an indication of a relatively safe field to stay in for a while? I don't have any studies to back that up, yet. But, if you look at fields that don't have flowers: They tend to be pretty awful places to hang around, for other reasons.
 
Cavemonster said:
The fact that we like flowers has been of great evolutionary use to the flowers. We even build special houses to raise them in places they otherwise thrive.

Why look at it as a human adaptation? In reality, flowers have a look that benefits them.

The bright colors and sweet smells that make flowers attractive are the same signals that distinguish fruit for us, which carries vital sugars and nutrients.
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Wait... you mean like... they're CONTROLLING US???? No! It can't be. It CAN'T... couldn't it? You mean all those times... all those times I... is that why?
 
dogjones said:
Wait... you mean like... they're CONTROLLING US???? No! It can't be. It CAN'T... couldn't it? You mean all those times... all those times I... is that why?
Click to expand...

Haha!

The name of the game is coevolution!

Animals and plants and every other kind of life are constantly adjusting to each other, taking advantage of each other. I would say, between humans and non-nutritious non-medicinal plants, they're getting more from us than we are from them in terms of pure utility.
 
Cavemonster said:
Haha!

The name of the game is coevolution!

Animals and plants and every other kind of life are constantly adjusting to each other, taking advantage of each other. I would say, between humans and non-nutritious non-medicinal plants, they're getting more from us than we are from them in terms of pure utility.
Click to expand...

My God... you're, you're right. That's it! I always wondered why I had these feelings, and, and it's all making SENSE now... the flowers... of course! The flowers...

We must... kill them.

All of them.
 
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Why do humans like sunsets? Or hearing the waves of the ocean on the shore? Or eating chocolate? Or seeing dolphins? Or watching puppies get born?

Does there actually have to be a reason? Maybe people just like stuff! It makes life a lot more fun than if you had to go around hating everything.

And if flowers really do control us, I'm in deep kimchi...
 
I'd never heard of kimchi until now. It looks good. I must try some.

Are you a Korean war vet?
 
" I love the flower, not because it blossoms for me
but because it blossoms wholly without reference to me and I rejoice in it's existence
not as though it were my possession"

Zen Buddhist saying
 
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