Comments on: Light Year http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/ Heronswood Voice – A web log written by George Ball Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:50:49 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Karen http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23459 Karen Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:37:15 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23459 This is a most excellent article. I love color in all things. I have red hair and once a humming bird tried to land on my head thinking I was a flower, I guess. I moved and it flew away. Would flowers still have their color if there was no light? Kind of like the question of a tree falling in the forest making no sound if no one is there to hear. Lots of things to think about. Thanks for your insight. This is a most excellent article. I love color in all things. I have red hair and once a humming bird tried to land on my head thinking I was a flower, I guess. I moved and it flew away.
Would flowers still have their color if there was no light? Kind of like the question of a tree falling in the forest making no sound if no one is there to hear. Lots of things to think about. Thanks for your insight.

]]> By: Bill Barnes http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23448 Bill Barnes Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:11:25 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23448 Hi, George See you're pondering colors in plants . You should know that much of colors in plants , leaves , flowers, fruit are there because they have jobs to do and the primary purpose wasn't so much for us(read animals) to see as it was a form of suntan that prevented light damage to delicate plant parts . That is a very short synopsis of why there are colors in plants . Green is there to faciliate photosynthesis , reds and blues have a hand in the matter as well and the carotinoids are sunscreens. Evrything needs sunscreens , plants are lucky to make their own. The second need for colors is that the chemicals that make up the colors are often unpalatable and the bright colors are a warning about there being poisons or at the very least substances there that might have bad affects. Berries of nightshade being a good example. Bad experiences can be equated to certain colors and are remembered easily by the victum . What about benign things with color. What is their story . Really quite simple . Mimicry and sunscreens can often combine . Hence tomatoes are bright red but not dangerous (sunscreen and mimicry ) where as poison nightshade is dangerous .The whole processes are complex and not as simple as this explaination but that is the general idea. I spent two years working on the biochemistry of flower color and it is clear that the colors came along , long before there was any substantial group of animals to take advantage of them. Plant tans are much prettier than ours. Bill Barnes Immediate Past President of the International Plant Propagators Society and owner of Barnes Horticultural Services . Send an email if you want to know more. Hi, George
See you’re pondering colors in plants . You should know that much of colors in plants , leaves , flowers, fruit are there because they have jobs to do and the primary purpose wasn’t so much for us(read animals) to see as it was a form of suntan that prevented light damage to delicate plant parts . That is a very short synopsis of why there are colors in plants . Green is there to faciliate photosynthesis , reds and blues have a hand in the matter as well and the carotinoids are sunscreens. Evrything needs sunscreens , plants are lucky to make their own. The second need for colors is that the chemicals that make up the colors are often unpalatable and the bright colors are a warning about there being poisons or at the very least substances there that might have bad affects. Berries of nightshade being a good example. Bad experiences can be equated to certain colors and are remembered easily by the victum . What about benign things with color. What is their story . Really quite simple . Mimicry and sunscreens can often combine . Hence tomatoes are bright red but not dangerous (sunscreen and mimicry ) where as poison nightshade is dangerous .The whole processes are complex and not as simple as this explaination but that is the general idea. I spent two years working on the biochemistry of flower color and it is clear that the colors came along , long before there was any substantial group of animals to take advantage of them. Plant tans are much prettier than ours.

Bill Barnes
Immediate Past President of the International Plant Propagators Society and owner of Barnes Horticultural Services .

Send an email if you want to know more.

]]> By: John Mays http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23435 John Mays Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:44:31 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23435 In reality, it was only long after the first mammals and the first birds began gracing the landscape that the first flowering plants came into existence -- only about 135 million years ago. Even then it wasn't until 80-90 million years ago that flowering plants began dominating the landscape. It is theorized that flowers may have contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs as the flowers may have been poisonous to herbivorous dinosaurs. So, perhaps flowers developed color, like many animals, to warn preditors to avoid them or pay the price! In reality, it was only long after the first mammals and the first birds began gracing the landscape that the first flowering plants came into existence — only about 135 million years ago. Even then it wasn’t until 80-90 million years ago that flowering plants began dominating the landscape. It is theorized that flowers may have contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs as the flowers may have been poisonous to herbivorous dinosaurs. So, perhaps flowers developed color, like many animals, to warn preditors to avoid them or pay the price!

]]> By: Belinda http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23426 Belinda Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:00:19 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23426 and perhaps natural selection enhanced our color-sight so that we would enjoy and care for the plants, thereby increasing their chance of survival in our current "environmentally-destructive phase" on earth (a symbiosis).... and perhaps natural selection enhanced our color-sight so that we would enjoy and care for the plants, thereby increasing their chance of survival in our current “environmentally-destructive phase” on earth (a symbiosis)….

]]> By: Catherine Bente http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23416 Catherine Bente Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:20:33 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23416 Wouldn't it be interesting to see the colors of the world as they developed, and before man had a hand in hybridiizng. What if plants developed different colors in different geographical locations. What if different cultural art forms developed as a result of the artist being influenced by the colors around him in nature. Does this mean plants are a patron of the arts? I suddenly feel quite small...I shall prune with great care and respect this season. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the colors of the world as they developed, and before man had a hand in hybridiizng. What if plants developed different colors in different geographical locations. What if different cultural art forms developed as a result of the artist being influenced by the colors around him in nature.
Does this mean plants are a patron of the arts?
I suddenly feel quite small…I shall prune with great care and respect this season.

]]> By: Stephen Jacobs http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23409 Stephen Jacobs Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:59:20 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23409 You know the story of human vs octopus eyes? They are anatomically very similar, except the human retina is inside-out (light has to go through a layer of nerves to reach the light sensors). Two organs that similar (but so different that they can't have a near common origin) show that there's something particularly good about the design. Or how about this: a particular jellyfish (box jellyfish or sea wasp) is a good guess for the simplest creature with image-forming eyes. It's also a good guess for the simplest creature with distinct waking and sleeping states. You know the story of human vs octopus eyes? They are anatomically very similar, except the human retina is inside-out (light has to go through a layer of nerves to reach the light sensors). Two organs that similar (but so different that they can’t have a near common origin) show that there’s something particularly good about the design.

Or how about this: a particular jellyfish (box jellyfish or sea wasp) is a good guess for the simplest creature with image-forming eyes. It’s also a good guess for the simplest creature with distinct waking and sleeping states.

]]> By: Cathy Woinski http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23408 Cathy Woinski Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:26:40 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23408 I always enjoy the log, but this article is especially fascinating addressing the science of color in relation to the plants. Thanks and keep them coming!!! I always enjoy the log, but this article is especially fascinating addressing the science of color in relation to the plants. Thanks and keep them coming!!!

]]> By: Sharon Warden http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23406 Sharon Warden Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:44:48 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23406 I love this blog and know how important color is in nature. I was watching the little yellow butterfly in my garden flitting from Mexican Petunia to the next, drinking for a long time. Then she/he came close to me and almost landed on my shirt; I looked down and realized that the color of my shirt was almost the exact color of those petunias! Of course the butterfly realized her mistake right away and flew off. Also it was interesting to see and very beautiful that the yellow butterfly went for the purple flowers, and they are complimentary colors on the color wheel, artists use them a lot together. Color is such an important part of the world, isn't it? I love this blog and know how important color is in nature. I was watching the little yellow butterfly in my garden flitting from Mexican Petunia to the next, drinking for a long time. Then she/he came close to me and almost landed on my shirt; I looked down and realized that the color of my shirt was almost the exact color of those petunias! Of course the butterfly realized her mistake right away and flew off. Also it was interesting to see and very beautiful that the yellow butterfly went for the purple flowers, and they are complimentary colors on the color wheel, artists use them a lot together. Color is such an important part of the world, isn’t it?

]]> By: Ken O'Dell http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/10/light-year/#comment-23403 Ken O'Dell Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:09:54 +0000 http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/?p=633#comment-23403 FAR OUT GEORGE BALL! FAR OUT! FAR OUT GEORGE BALL! FAR OUT!

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