'Like A Dead Animal': Corpse Flower In Bloom At Denver Botanic Gardens
DENVER (CBS4) - The corpse flower known at "Stinky" has bloomed at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and it is attracting quite the crowd.
The Titan arum began blooming at 4 p.m. on Thursday, and Friday morning people were lining up outside the gardens to get a whiff of the rare flower themselves.
This is the second time it has bloomed.
"It really does stink," explained Allison Kramer who went to see Stinky. "Last year it didn't smell that bad, or we got here too late but I think we could smell it from when we even walked into the gardens this morning. "
The flower secretes a stinky smell to attract beetles and flies for pollination.
"I had a mouse that climbed up into my car and died, and every time I turned on my vent I smelled this smell," laughed Kelcey Land. "So it's not the most pleasant of smells but it's not also the worst. It is beautiful to see though."
The corpse flower bloom is rare, as it is native to rainforests of an Indonesian island.
The Denver Botanic Gardens say Friday is the best time to see and smell the flower. They will be open until 8 p.m. on Friday.
Makenzie O'Keefe joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2017. Read her bio, connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter at @makenziepokeefe or email her your story ideas.