Lecture: "Rose red and violet blue - color in nature"

Lecture on Sunday, January 20, 2019in the tropical greenhouse in Witzenhausen

Speaker: Botanist Dr. Hilke Steinecke (Palmengarten Frankfurt). Admission €5.

"Colors are the children of light" (J.W. v. Goethe)
The plants inspire with their often intense fruit and flower colors. But what is behind this and what is the purpose of the colors? Flower biology provides an answer as to why, for example, so many flowers in the tropics are red and how certain colors attract specific pollinators. Do you already know butterfly flowers? Or bird flowers? Or bat flowers?
Nature offers a rich spectrum of colors. The colors of most leaves are in the green range, but all colors of the rainbow can be found in the flowers. However, there are also pure white or, rarely, almost black flowers. Many flowers show their color effect and pattern through a mixture of different dyes and various surface structures.
Fruits are often glossy black or yellow, green, purple, more rarely white or blue. They often change color during the ripening process, such as our tomatoes or peppers.
Plant colors also have many uses for us humans. What would currywurst be without yellow or jeans without blue? We use plant dyes to color food and textiles. The well-known botanist Dr. Hilke Dr. Steinecke from the Palmengarten Frankfurt also has a lot to say about this in this colourful, richly illustrated lecture. As a curator, she has designed numerous exhibitions. These include a highly acclaimed exhibition on colors in the plant kingdom. She communicates her specialist knowledge in catalogs, on the radio, on television and during her popular guided tours. Let the talented amateur photographer take you on a journey into the world of color.
 
Read more: Color in nature, Palmengarten special issue 42, 2009