The search for nectar costs insects a lot of energy, so they have to be as efficient as possible. Colorful patterns on the petals can help with that. Be it mallow, foxglove or forget-me-not: many ...

How do plants achieve their remarkably regular arrangement of leaves and flowers? And why does this pattern remain so stable, ...

Unlike human vision, which prioritizes high resolution and fine detail, honeybee vision is low resolution but highly specialized for detecting the visual signals that matter most for survival—flowers.

Flowers like hibiscus use an invisible blueprint established very early in petal formation that dictates the size of their bullseyes—a crucial pre-pattern that can significantly impact their ability ...

Bumblebees searching for nectar go for signposts on flowers rather than the bull's eye. A new study shows that the markings at the center of a flower are not as important as the markings that will ...

Honey bees rely heavily on flower patterns when searching for food, a new study has found. The research has revealed honeybees can distinguish between different flowers by using colours and patterns.

Scientists who study monkeyflowers sometimes feel as though the plants are looking back at them. The blooms are said to resemble the faces of playful monkeys—hence the name—complete with a speckled ...

Be it mallow, foxglove or forget-me-not: many flowers bear colourful patterns, which are known as nectar guides in biology. They are assumed to show the pollinating insects the shortest way to the ...