It is officially spring and the StellarNet team visited a local plant nursery to do color analysis of freshly bloomed flowers and compare solar spectra from inside and outside of the greenhouse.
Green Thumb is a local nursery that has everything you need to get your garden in top shape for the summer. Jason, Kimberly, and Stephanie visited to check out the different types of flowers and see all the beautiful blooms (and buy a few plants for themselves). They brought the StellarRAD+Color handheld color measurement system to take spectra of different flowers. The portability and simple interface make this the perfect tool for measuring plant reflectance in the field. With a simple swap of accessories, the system becomes our standard StellarRAD platform and can be used to measure solar spectral irradiance too!
After checking out all the colorful blooms, we had to ask… what causes the flowers to be so colorful? Pigments called anthocyanins are the reason for red, pink, blue, and purple flowers. Anthocyanin accumulation could be the reason why some flowers are more attractive to pollinators than others. The way that this pigment absorbs light is the cause of the red-based color.
pH also plays a role in the color of these pigments. Depending on the pH and the chemical structure of the anthocyanins the plant may appear red, purple, blue or even black! Hydrangea is a great example of this. Typically the blooms are white. By growing this flower in an acidic soil (where there are available aluminum ions) the blooms will be blue or purple. If it is grown in alkaline soil the flowers will be pink or red.
Carotenoids are another pigment that is the cause of yellow, orange, and red blooms. This is also the pigment that gives pumpkins and carrots their distinctive orange color. On our trip to the nursery, we found beautiful lily blooms that were bright orange.
Another important aspect of plant life and having such wonderful blooms is proper sunlight! While some plants can tolerate low light, most need moderate to full sun to achieve colorful flowers. Testing the light in a greenhouse to make sure your plants are receiving adequate energy from the sun is important. We tested inside the greenhouse and outside of the greenhouse to compare the irradiance.
Local nurseries are important to the community. Be sure to visit your local nursery and plant some local native plants to help your ecosystem! Thanks, Green Thumb for having us!
