Wingin’ It Apiary Natural · Polyfloral Honey

Notes from the Apiary

Updates from the hives through the seasons: what the bees are up to, what the beekeeper is learning (usually the hard way), and when the next honey is ready.

A sunflower with a honey bee on its center, in normal light: the petals are plain, even yellow. — What we see

The same sunflower and bee in a false-color ultraviolet photo: the petal tips show pale pink and the inner half of each petal forms a dark green ring around the center. — In ultraviolet

The same sunflower, a different perspective. The UV photo is false color: the camera turns ultraviolet into colors we can see.

To us it’s a plain yellow sunflower. To a bee, it has a bull’s-eye. The inner half of each petal is packed with UV-absorbing pigments called flavonols, while the petal tips reflect ultraviolet light. Bees can see that contrast, and it’s thought to steer them to the center.

In Bloom

Seeing Sunflowers the Way a Bee Does

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