Pink Perfection...

Springtime flowers never fail to amaze with their variety of colours and shades, shapes and forms, textures and touch... not forgetting smell. As the clocks move forward, Nature follows or perhaps leads the way towards the changing seasons. Whether they are found locally, or are hybrids from countries afar, these blooms chase out the last remnants of Winter. Some seem bold and jaunty, whilst others appear more subtle...

Delicate petals are set out in tightly-spun intricate layers, like a flurry of tissue paper...

Or have a simplicity in shape that is offset by an incredible intensity of colour.... all of which led me to wonder how flowers can produce such complexity of colour and shade. How is this actually done? Flower form, fragrance and colouring are means to lure in passing pollinators and seed dispersers but how are these all brought about?

The intricacies of Nature never fail to amaze me and although there is a scientific explanation for the colouration of flowers, this does not seem to cover the almost magical quality of this process or indeed many of the others found in the natural world around us, all taken for granted and rarely questioned by we humans.

Plant pigments are responsible for colouring, the most obvious of which being green, of course, due to chlorophyll. These chemical compounds all contain molecules that will selectively absorb certain wavelengths of light whilst reflecting others. Although there are three main categories of pigment - flavonoids, carotenoids and betalains - which form the vast range of colours we so appreciate in flowers, we cannot see many of the others available to other 'lesser' species.

The humble bee can actually pick out a colour that simply does not exist for humans as it is beyond our visual capacity - combiniing yellow and ultraviolet light to produce what is referred to as 'bees' purple'. On the subject of bees, I did also wonder about how they actually produce and deposit wax, but that is another story... In the meantime, I can enjoy some pink perfection in soft, ruffled petals that highlight a beautiful man-made backcloth.