Flowers That Are Too Iridescent Might Confuse Bees

Plants and Animals





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Bee on non-iridescent flower. Edwige Moyroud

Flower petals with that shiny, color-shifting effect are easier for bees to find, but if they’re perfectly iridescent, flowers risk confusing the bees. Researchers studying this delicate balance reveal that flower petals produce the “just right” signal to attract their helpful pollinators. The findings are published in Current Biology this week.