Topic description and stories

Bee on a non-iridescent flower

Flowers tone down the iridescence of their petals and avoid confusing bees

25 Feb 2016

Latest research shows that flowers’ iridescent petals, which may look plain to human eyes, are perfectly tailored to a bee’s-eye-view.

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Bees are important pollinators of daisies and many other flowers

Flower power: how to get ahead in advertising

02 Feb 2012

Some plants go to extraordinary lengths to attract pollinators. A unique collaboration between plant scientists and physicists is revealing the full...

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Mentzelia lindleyi

How flowers use a touch of bling to woo the bees

04 Jul 2011

Beetles use it, birds use it. Plants use it too. Iridescence is the shimmery colour effect that makes things eye-catching.

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