Sunday, August 12, 2012

Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii: human vision vs bee UV vision; reflected UV ultraviolet photography

Today about another attractive flower, for humans as well as bees: Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii. Shot outside with natural light (blue sky, no direct sun) in visible and ultraviolet light, using the Baader-U UV pass filter, a CERCO 94mm quartz flourite lens and my UV sensitive camera.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visible light image:


Ultraviolet (UV) light image:


Diptych VIS - UV:


The petals of this R. deamii variant shows a, invisible for us humans, very distinct "bullseye" UV pattern, as many other Rudbeckia species do. Also this one is reflecting around 365nm at its petal tips and is creating a very distinct UV nectar guide for its pollinators.

The California Academia of Science has chosen these images for its new 2015 exhibit "Colors of Life"

Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...

More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos