The world is full of colors: the sky is blue, the stones are gray, the fire is orange, and so on. But one thing is constant – most of the plants on the planet are green. It literally symbolizes life on Earth. And although among flowers you can find various types, like bright red roses, green remains dominant. We take it for granted, but have you ever wondered why it was green that took over the plant kingdom? Why not blue, purple, or red? It turns out that the reason for this choice of nature is much more complicated than it seems at first glance.
The green color of plants is the result of long evolution. Image source: wallpapers.99px.ru
Plants with blue flowers
Although green is the dominant color in the plant kingdom, this does not mean that plants are completely devoid of other shades. There are some truly amazing representatives of flora that proudly wear blue.
Among them are such popular garden flowers as hydrangeas (Hydrángea), cornflowers (Centauréa) and delphiniums (Delphínium). These plants not only attract attention with their beauty, but also destroy the myth that green is the only color of nature.
Cornflowers are extremely common flowers in Russia. Image source: dzen.ru
There are also more exotic examples, such as the alpine puya (Pūya alpēstris), with striking azure flowers, or sea holly. Even such familiar plants as scilla (Scílla) and lupine (Lupinus) are also presented in blue tones.
Why blueberries are not actually blue
There are also impostors among blue plants. For example, although blueberries appear blue, they do not actually contain dyes of this color. The authors of IFL Science explained why blueberries appear blue.
Blueberries only appear blue, but their blueness is actually an optical illusion. In 2024, researchers at the University of Bristol discovered that blueberries do not contain blue pigment. Despite their appearance, their color is not due to pigmentation, but to the interaction of light with the surface of the berries. The anthocyanins contained in blueberries have a dark red hue, and the blue color occurs due to a thin layer of wax covering the fruit. This layer, only two microns thick, scatters blue and ultraviolet light, creating the illusion of blueness.
You can't squeeze blue dye out of blueberries. Image source: iflscience.com
When the researchers removed this waxy coating, they discovered that it was made up of microscopic crystalline structures that play a key role in creating the blue hue. Remarkably, most plants also have this coating, but its effect on the color of their fruit had gone unnoticed until now.
Read also: The most poisonous plants in the world
Why there is little blue in nature
Blue is a rare color in the plant world because it is not beneficial for the plants themselves. Plants use light to obtain energy through photosynthesis. Blue light contains the most energy, so plants want to absorb it rather than reflect it. If leaves were blue, they would reflect this valuable light, making it difficult for them to grow. This is why most plants are green – they absorb blue and red light and reflect green light.
Some plants use bright colors to warn that they are poisonous. Image source: iflscience.com
But why are some plants blue? Many plants have blue flowers because it helps attract bees, which for unknown reasons are particularly sensitive to bluish hues. Although blue pigment is difficult to create and requires a lot of energy, plants that rely on bees for pollination use it as a way to stand out from other flowers. So blue is less common in plants, but it plays an important role in pollination.
Blue attracts bees, but scientists don't know exactly why. Image source: rtraveler.ru
So, the green color of plants is the result of evolutionary necessity. Plants absorb blue light for photosynthesis, and the blue color we see on some flowers is a rarity associated with attracting pollinating insects.
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