Insects’ color vision is completely different from that of humans. It is said that they perceive the world primarily in ultraviolet (UV), blue, and green.
For example, honeybees’ color vision responds to these three colors—UV, blue, and green. Butterflies perceive colors ranging from UV to red. Flies have only poor color vision, but respond to UV. Moths can distinguish between white and pale yellow at night, and beetles respond to scent rather than color.
For humans, the color most commonly associated with flowers is red. However, it is said that to many insects, the color red appears almost entirely black. The colors that insects see most clearly are yellow, blue, purple, and white, and flowers are also equipped with ultraviolet patterns (nectar marks) that humans cannot perceive.
Flowers with these colors attract more insects, achieve greater pollination success, and, as a result, are more likely to produce offspring. The colorful appearances of flowers, which evoke a sense of fascinating beauty in humans, are essentially calculated survival strategies as living organisms and the result of wisdom refined over a long period of time.
Human-induced modification in the colors and shapes of flowers in selective breeding is based on this genetic adaptability of trees and plants, that has enabled them to survive in their harsh environment so long.
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