Ghoulish Garden: Six of the World’s Creepiest Flowers

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The word “flower” usually evokes something beautiful and fragrant – maybe a classic rose, a bright peony or a stately lily. But like most of nature, flowers run the gamut from ordinary to unusual — and sometimes, they can be downright frightening. But just because they’re not dainty or sweet-smelling doesn’t mean these plants are not worth learning about.  

With Halloween approaching, it’s the perfect time to explore the creepier parts of the natural world. Take a look at these six lesser-known flowers from across the globe that are spooky enough to rival any Halloween decorations. 

Corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum)  

Native to the rainforests of Sumatra, the corpse flower draws its name from the odor of rotting flesh it produces while blooming. The flower’s inflorescence, or main cluster of flowers, can grow to be over 10 feet tall, making it the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. It doesn’t bloom often, taking anywhere from four to ten years to flower, and when it does, it usually only blooms for one or two days.  

The putrid scent of this flower attracts insects like flesh flies and carrion beetles, which aid in pollination. The corpse flower also grows brightly colored, round fruits that are poisonous to humans. However, they do serve as food for the rhinoceros hornbill, which then helps disperse the seeds. 

The International Union for Conversation of Nature has listed the corpse flower as endangered and estimates that there are fewer than 1,000 growing in the wild. Deforestation and conversion of land to plantations are two of the leading causes of the corpse flower’s decline. 

Flor de Muerto (Lisianthus nigrescens) 

This flower’s name translates to “Flower of Death,” and it is considered the blackest naturally occurring flower in the world. This perennial is native to Mexico and Guatemala, and it’s named not only for its black petals but also for the cultural practice of planting it around graves.  

Flor de muerto has long, bell-shaped flowers that droop from the stems, looking almost like they are wilted or dead. The flower’s unusual coloration presents an eerie mystery: Since black absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, and the flowers have no odor when blooming, scientists are unsure how flor de muerto is able to attract pollinators.  

Monkey face orchid (Dracula simia) 

When looking at a flower, no one expects a face to look back — but with this species, commonly referred to as a monkey face orchid, that’s exactly what happens. The center of the flower so strongly resembles a monkey’s face that it’s difficult to see it as anything else. There are more than 100 varieties of this orchid, and some even appear to be grinning menacingly. Its shape may be the result of mimicry, as the dracula genus evolved to resemble mushrooms in order to attract fruit flies that often frequent fungi.    

These plants are epiphytes, which means they grow on the surface of trees and obtain moisture and nutrients from the organic matter surrounding them. Although rare, monkey face orchids are found naturally in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador, where they bloom throughout the year at elevations around 3,000 – 6,000 feet. Unlike some of the other flowers on this list, dracula simia has a pleasant fragrance of ripe oranges, so while its appearance may be off-putting, its scent is anything but.  

Black bat flower (Tacca chantrieri) 

Another flower that is reminiscent of an animal, the black bat flower’s bracts resemble large wings, with whisker-like filaments that can grow up to 28 inches long. Native to southeast Asia, this plant is related to the yam and has been traditionally used for food and medicine, although its bitter flavor may be an acquired taste. Due to the effects of climate change on its tropical ecosystem, the black bat flower is considered endangered.   

Like the corpse plant, the black bat flower also has the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh, thought to be a way to attract carrion flies. Over the years, spooky folklore has attached itself to this flower — specifically that staring at it too long will result in being stalked by the evil eye. However, with a plant this intriguing and unique-looking, it’s hard not to stare! 

White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) 

Also known as doll’s eyes, this plant features clusters of round, white fruits with a small black spot that closely resemble tiny human eyeballs. As if their creepy appearance wasn’t enough to discourage people from disturbing them, these berries are also extremely poisonous to humans and can even blister the skin if touched. However, several bird species, including the ruffed grouse and American robin, can eat baneberry fruit without any adverse effects, so they help to disperse the plant’s seeds. A member of the buttercup family, white baneberry is native to eastern North America, including parts of Canada and the United States.  

Stinking corpse lily (Rafflesia arnoldii) 

This giant parasitic flower produces the largest individual flower in the world, which can grow to be one meter in diameter and weigh about 10 kilograms (approximately 22 pounds). They are native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Indonesia, where they grow inside tetrastigma vines as thin fibers before their large red-and-orange speckled lobes sprout out of the host. Even though their scent is similar to the corpse flower above, these two species are not related. 

Through DNA testing, biologists discovered that at least one species of rafflesia no longer has a chloroplast gene, which is typically used by plants for cellular processes like making food. It would appear that this parasitic plant was able to shed genes that were no longer useful to it in favor of picking up elements from its host’s DNA — perhaps making them the mad scientist of the plant kingdom.  

While these flowers may not be ones you’d see in a typical garden, they represent just a fraction of the sheer diversity of plant life on earth. They may be a little bit creepy — but they’re also fascinating examples of biodiversity, resilience and evolutionary change.  

Read more WHC blogs. 

New White Paper Examines How Companies Across the Value Chain are Responding to Opportunities for Biodiversity

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BETHESDA, MD, October 12, 2022 – WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) offers a new white paper available for download today, Building Sustainable Supply Chains | How Nature-based Solutions Can Address Operational Risks. The white paper is sponsored by Ramboll and is available for free on our website.

Much like nature depends on a complex web of relationships between various species, the private sector also relies on symbiotic connections between suppliers and consumers. Driven by pressure from both investors and consumers, more companies are recognizing that to have a net-zero impact on the environment, they must address biodiversity and climate risks across their supply chains.

This white paper explores how corporations at every tier of the supply chain are responding to industry-specific challenges while embracing opportunities to enhance biodiversity. Companies in certain supply chain tiers, such as extraction, have direct impacts on biodiversity and climate, while those in industries like manufacturing often have more indirect impacts. As such, no one approach to integrating biodiversity into the supply chain will work for all companies. By identifying and implementing locally appropriate, nature-positive actions that align with regional sustainability goals, the private sector can address the risks associated with their operations across the supply chain.

Case studies in the white paper include:

  • CEMEX: Rockfield Quarry, California, USA
  • Davey Resource Group: WSSI Native Habitat, Virginia, USA
  • Exelon: Benning Service Center, Washington, DC, USA
  • Freeport-McMoRan: Cerro Verde Facility, Arequipa, Peru
  • Georgia-Pacific: Leaf River Cellulose, LLC, Mississippi, USA
  • ITC: Right-of-Way at Tomlinson Arboretum, Michigan, USA
  • Solvay: Paulínia Site, São Paulo, Brazil
  • Toyota: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, Texas, USA
  • WM: WM Laconia Transfer Station, New Hampshire, USA

About WHC:

For over 30 years, WHC has been promoting and certifying ecological stewardship action on corporate lands through partnerships and education. Since only 10-15% of the world’s land surface is protected, private lands provide an essential opportunity for restoring and protecting biodiversity. As the only international conservation NGO focused exclusively on the private sector, WHC provides a framework for voluntary conservation action on a wide variety of corporate lands. WHC’s corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations seeking to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them. These efforts have resulted in more than 1,000 certified programs across 47 states and 28 countries.

From Skyscrapers to Mines – When a Workplace Becomes a Thriving Wildlife Habitat

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Workplace structures, like skyscrapers, power plants or mines, are initially built to benefit humans. However, because of the shelter they provide and their proximity to water and food sources, manmade structures like these often end up serving as habitat for native wildlife. Once animals have been spotted living in and around a workplace, how can companies ensure that these incidental habitats are as beneficial to wildlife as possible? 

Here are a few species that commonly find habitats in and around workplaces, as well as some of the methods corporations can use to enhance these habitats. 

Peregrine falcons on top of the world 

Once one of the most widespread birds in the world, peregrine falcon populations in the U.S. were drastically depleted due to the impact of DDT during the 1940s – 60s. It wasn’t until the use of DDT was federally banned and falcon recovery programs like the Chicago Peregrine Program were established that the species began to repopulate. By 1999, the peregrine falcon was no longer considered federally endangered.  

Adapting to urban settings was not a challenge for this raptor species, as they prefer tall buildings that resemble their natural cliff habitats. The height of urban skyscrapers and high-rises also makes for a safe space away from other predators. In urban areas, falcons have an abundance of smaller birds such as pigeons to prey on, and cities like Chicago that are located within a major migratory bird flyway make an ideal location for peregrine falcons to hunt.   

For building owners who have these birds as tenants, there are several ways to enhance their habitat. Consider changing window washing schedules to avoid disrupting any nests, and install a nest box to give the falcons a secure and protected area for their eggs and young. In order to help support peregrine falcon recovery, Ontario Power Generation set up three nesting boxes at two sites. By protecting the nests from fluctuations in wetness and temperature, which can be extremely detrimental to peregrine eggs, these nesting structures allowed for the successful hatching of eight peregrine falcon chicks.   

Birds who take up residence in city centers make for exciting sights for locals and tourists alike. Setting up nest cameras to monitor the birds — and making the live feeds available to the public — creates opportunities to educate community members about these birds.  

Manatees in man-made warm water 

Another species that has found habitat in manmade structures is the manatee, a migratory aquatic mammal currently listed as a protected species. The warm water discharged from power plant outflows makes an ideal winter habitat for manatees, particularly in Florida. 

Manatees were once listed as endangered species due to habitat loss and boat collisions. As natural manatee habitats dwindled, power plant owners began to notice that a large percentage of the remaining population was finding refuge at their outflows. However, because of the impact of thermal pollution on marine life, the EPA proposed regulations that would prohibit the once-through cooling plants that manatees had flocked to. When environmentalists pointed out the detrimental effect these plant closures would have on manatees, the EPA instead exempted older power plants from these regulations and required them to meet environmental standards, including a reduction in the amount of pollutants released.  

For power plants that provide habitat to manatees, keeping the warm water flowing is key to supporting the species. Develop outflow disruption plans to make sure that there is no interruption in the water discharge. Opening the facility up to visitors and holding tours or  field trips educates the public about manatees as well as the conservation strategies needed to protect them.  

Florida Power and Light (FPL) is one such company that turned their manatee habitat into an educational opportunity. They designed a manatee lagoon at their plant in West Palm Beach to provide a protected habitat for manatee herds. Along with the lagoon, FPL also built an educational center where, in addition to providing places to observe the manatees, they host children’s story times, yoga classes, summer camps and more — reaching about 125,000 visitors each year. 

Bats finding homes in abandoned mines 

Sometimes, workplaces don’t become useful for wildlife until after their use by humans is discontinued. Mines are one particular site of industrialization that, once closed for business, serve as an ideal habitat for bats. 

Bats are a crucial part of our ecosystem — through pollination and seed dispersal, they ensure the survival of various plant species, and they also help control insects like mosquitos. Over the past few decades, bat populations have been on the decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, lack of food sources and diseases such as white-nose syndrome. The environmental benefits of bats, along with the widespread decline of bat populations, are why it’s so important to support bat habitats. 

There are an estimated 500,000 abandoned mines in the United States, and 29 native bat species in the U.S. rely on these abandoned mines for habitat. Bats require different habitat needs throughout the year — roosting in the summer, hibernating in the winter, raising their young and stopping over while migrating — and mines can accommodate those needs. 

There are several ways to ensure that mine habitats are beneficial for bats. Bat gates, structures made of horizontal steel bars at the entrance to the mine, allow bats to freely enter and exit while keeping humans from disturbing the habitat. Consider the availability of food surrounding the mine habitat as well. For example, the lesser long-nosed bat relies on agave in scrub deserts across the southwestern United States. As part of their ongoing work to support bat populations, Freeport-McMoRan worked with local partners to plant agave at several of their mines in southern Arizona. These kinds of planting events not only ensure abundant food sources for recovering bat populations, but they also serve as educational and community engagement efforts.  

Butterflies making rock quarry habitats their own  

Much like bats, various species of butterflies have made their homes at extraction sites — this time, at rock quarries. The soil surrounding quarries is often alkaline due to naturally occurring minerals like limestone and chalk. These environments, called calcareous grasslands, are ideal habitats for many butterflies, as alkaline-tolerant plants like birdsfoot trefoil are a food source as well as a place to lay their eggs. Research has shown that about fifty percent of the butterfly species in Europe reside in these kinds of grasslands. As butterflies are ectothermic (or cold-blooded), they need sunny areas to raise their body temperatures, and the plants they feed on also need full sun. Quarries meet this need as well, with their lack of shade trees and rocks that absorb warmth. Since agricultural enterprises and urbanization have encroached on the dry, warm environments that butterflies favor, the warm and calcareous nature of quarries is appealing to them.  

Closed or even active quarry sites can encourage butterfly population by planting native milkweed and other butterfly-friendly plants. In their larval stage, many butterflies require a single source of food, so learn about the host plants for the species at your quarry and add them to the site. When employees at a Covia sand mine in Wisconsin committed to creating habitat for the endangered Karner blue butterfly, they focused on planting native wild lupine, the host plant for Karner blue butterfly caterpillars. In addition to the host plants, Covia also planted a variety of forbs to provide food for the adult butterflies and ensured that stormwater ponds nearby provide adequate water. 

Co-existing with wildlife often means sharing our buildings and workplaces — and with these strategies, corporate landowners can ensure that workplace habitats support these species. 

Read more WHC blogs.