When we look at a flower it’s hard to imagine that it could possibly look like something else. Yet insects, birds and reptiles all see in ultraviolet light.  Plants know that and have evolved exploit it. For instance when we look at a Coast Sunflower (Encelia californica)  we see bright yellow petals with a brown center. Yet when an insect sees the flower it may see lines of color leading like a runway to the pollen and nectar, similar to how a yellow Douglas Iris looks to the human eye. This signaling in ultraviolet is kind of a GPS system, telling insects the shortest route to the goodies.  Many flowering plants that rely on insects for pollination have colored themselves this way because in nature emphasis is on reproduction: it’s all about passing on your DNA. When pollen is only viable for a short time, or flowers are only open a few hours, it is essential for pollination to happen as quickly and accurately as possible. So plants create directional colors that work like airport runway lights to lead insects in to the reproductive areas quickly and efficiently.

Because plants can’t waste energy everything they do has a purpose. So wildflowers that put their energy into bright colors to attract pollinators such as the gorgeous Mahogany California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica ‘Mahogany’) usually don’t have a strong fragrance, because they don’t need it to get the job of pollinating done. Other plants that rely on attracting bees with fragrance such as the very aromatic Wooly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum x Trichostema purpusii) also have flowers in the blue range of color, of which bees are particularly fond.

When you look at a flower, imagine what birds, insects and reptiles are actually seeing, and appreciate how plants have learned how to talk with them.