In the blink of an eye
the land bloomed with a spectrum of brilliant color
where before it was all greens
and earth tones.
It was the sudden awakening of a new aesthetic;
our “shrew-like” ancestors, and every creature,
quickly learned to see and enjoy
a palette never before seen.
It was a worldwide revolution of technique and delight
which robustly punctuated
the equilibrium
of evolution.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
The knowledge of how to manufacture bold color
gave flowering plants a commanding advantage
over other plants.
They could now visually signal the animal kingdom
in a simple and powerful way,
and thereby commandeer legs and wings to carry their pollen.
Flowering species quickly dominated the plant kingdom.
Today 90 percent of plant species are angiosperms.
We associate flowers with nature itself;
but flowering plants are a johnny-come-lately;
they are a recent idea.
For 97 percent of Earth’s existence there were no flowers.
For 96 percent of life’s existence there were no flowers.
For 89 percent of the existence of plants there were no flowers.
A recent idea.
Animals select their mates based on what they find beautiful,
and so we have all created ourselves in our own image of beauty.
Immediately following the aesthetic revolution brought by the bold colors of flowers,
small, tree-dwelling dinosaurs,
not too concerned about staying camouflaged,
looked at these colors
and flew with them.
