Easier to grow than to spell, Eschscholtzia californica, the state flower of California, is the botanical visual equivalent of a perfect, sunny-side-up egg yolk.... and there is an indirect link between orange flowers like this and egg yolks.
Birds can't make the yellow cartenoid pigment that's a component of petal colour in California poppy and many other yellow-flowered plants, so all the yellow pigment in birds' plumage and egg yolks has to come directly from the plant food that they eat, or indirectly from animals that they eat that have in turn eaten plants with the yellow pigment. For example, blue tits that have eaten caterpillars that have eaten plants deposit the yellow pigment in their breast feathers - so a blue tit that has bright yellow feathers is likely to be a good caterpillar hunter. It has been know for poultry farmers to feed orange marigold petals to hens so that they produce eggs with more intensely yellow yolks.
Mammals can't make carotenoids either so plant carotenoids are the source of vitamin A which is a vital human visual pigment, which is why carotenoids have been genetically engineered into Golden Rice, to help prevent blindness in communities that have low levels of vitamin A in their diet.
Aside from its glorious golden flower colour, California poppy has very attractive glaucous green, feathery foliage. I grew it in my garden last year and was delighted to find that it had self-seeded and that they seeds had survived our recent hard winter. Little glaucous green seedlings are coming up all over the garden.
fascinating post! thank you...
ReplyDeleteI'll be trying to spot the blue-tits with the brightest yellow feathers now. :O)
ReplyDeleteI love Carlifornian poppies. They look so delicate with their fernlike leaves and flimsy petals yet they manage to self-seed year after year. They're one of my mum and dad's favourites.
You turned a post about Eschscholzia into a quick lesson on nutrition! I enjoyed that!
ReplyDeleteI had several red plants growing at work this year, so hopefully I'll have only red ones in my garden next year.
Hi Phil, what an interesting post about Californian poppies.Love the information about the birds and the yellow feathers ..I grow Californian poppies every year without fail and have done so for the last 20 years as I so adore them so much.They never fail to cheer you up and they go on till the first frost .They are called " sleeping caps" in Dutch, as before the flowers open up, they have to shake off their " sleeping cap"..
ReplyDeleteHi Country Lady, I've always liked the way that poppies force their way out of their bud scales, as though they can't bear to be confined for a moment longer. I'm surprised how well California popies self-seed in my garden - they come up in some surprising places. best wishes,Phil
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