When it comes to chemical compounds such as pigments, plants dominate the living world. Pigments are "molecules that absorb specific wavelengths (energies) of light and reflect all others." Pigments are colored: the color we see is the net effect of all the light reflecting back at us. ... (Wikipedia)
Insects and birds might come in second, but theirs are often the works of physics, not chemistry.
Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. (Wikipedia)
In this photograph, organic chemistry of the green leaves meets the physics of the iridescent feathers of the hummingbird. And I am not even addressing the blue of the sky. That is a completely different matter. Go Google, go!
Violet-green swallows showed up
and in the low morning sun their feathers flashed with greens, cyans, magentas and - violets.
At noon, when the sun was harsh the splendor all but disappeared.
Every child knows the iridescence of hummingbirds.
But look carefully and you will discover that most other birds also use the daylight to their "dresscode" advantage.
Violet-green swallows showed up
and in the low morning sun their feathers flashed with greens, cyans, magentas and - violets.
At noon, when the sun was harsh the splendor all but disappeared.
Their larger cousins, the Tree swallows prefer to dress in blues.
They too shine when the light hits them at the right angle.
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| Tree Swallow |
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| Violet-green Swallow |
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| Tree Swallow |
It is Spring in the Kootenays. It is a wonderful world.
The world of chemistry, physics and ..... well, simply enjoy it all.
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