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Communication between flowering plants and their pollinators involves innate, learned and deceptive sensory signals. Nocturnal, hawkmoth-pollinated flowers are among the most reflective and strongly scented known, suggesting the potential for multimodal sensory communication with pollinators. We measured the relative importance of these overstated signals, both alone and in combination, to nectar feeding by naı̈ve male hawkmoths, Manduca sexta. In the absence of fragrance, moths hovered and repeatedly passed (in flight) within 1m above arrays of model paper flowers. The presence of plant odours elicited significantly more hovers and close passes, as well as three additional behaviours: approaches to the paper flowers, approaches to the hidden odour source and nectar feeding. However, approaches to odour sources never resulted in proboscis extension or probing in the absence of a visual target …