Top: petals of Ursinia speciosa, a daisy, contain a dark pigment that appears blue due to 'disordered' striations. Bottom: close-up top and side view of microscopic striations.
Credit: Tobias Wenzel/ Edwige Moyroud
New study finds "messy" microscopic structures on petals of some flowers manipulate light to produce a blue colour effect that is easily seen by bee pollinators. Researchers say these petal grooves evolved independently multiple times across flowering plants, but produce the same result: a floral halo of blue-to-ultraviolet light. The disorder we see in petal nanostructures appears to have been harnessed by evolution and ends up aiding floral communication with bees - Beverley Glover Latest research has found that several common flower species have nanoscale ridges on the surface of their petals that meddle with light when viewed from certain angles. These nanostructures scatter light particles in the blue to ultraviolet colour spectrum, generating a subtle effect that scientists have christened the 'blue halo'. By manufacturing artificial surfaces that replicated 'blue halos', scientists were able to test the effect on pollinators, in this case foraging bumblebees. They found that bees can see the blue halo, and use it as a signal to locate flowers more efficiently. While the ridges and grooves on a petal surface line up next to each other "like a packet of dry spaghetti", when analysing different flower species the researchers discovered these striations vary greatly in height, width and spacing - yet all produce a similar 'blue halo' effect.
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