San Francisco Science Museum - Color of Life Exhibit with Rudbeckia fulgida in reflected ultraviolet (UV) photography

Today about a new exhibit at the San Francisco Science Museum - Color of Life which has opened in June this year and which has some of my work in it. They included my Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii outside shots in visible and ultraviolet light.

A glipse of the exhibit, located in several areas totalling an impressive 8.000sqft:

(C) California Science Museum

The Science Museum has chosen my work, as the petals of this R. fulgida exhibit a very prominent "bullseye" UV pattern, visible to bees and butterflies, but invisible to us humans.

Diptych of R. fulgida var deamii (left to right): Human vison, reflected UV:


This flower is reflecting UV strongly around 365nm at its petal tips (shown in yellow) with otherwise dark parts and hence creates a very distinct UV "bullseye pattern" nectar guide for its pollinators and all this gets nicely visible here.

If you find time to, pay it a visit, certainly worth going!!

I have written about this flower previously HERE
 
Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...