Comparison of a Garden Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) flower under visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle), and infrared light (bottom).
In visible light the flower has white petals with a yellow centre.
In ultraviolet light the flower has quite dark petals with a very dark centre.
In infrared light the centre is brighter, appearing the same tone as the petals. The leaf of the plant also reflects infrared strongly, appearing brighter than it does in UV and visible light.
Comparison of a Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) flower in visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle), and infrared light (bottom).
In visible light the flower appears violet with a darker purple colour around the throat.
In ultraviolet light the flower appears very similar, with a darker area around the throat.
In infrared the flower's appearance is monotone. There is no dark area around the throat and the brightness of the flowers is matched by that of the plant's leaves.
Photos comparing the appearance of a Aquilegia caerulea 'Crimson Star' flower in visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle), and infrared light (bottom).
The Crimson Star cultivar is a star shaped flower with deep red spurs, white corollas, and a tuft of yellow stamens in the very centre.
Under Ultraviolet light the stamens appear darker, and the corolla around the stamens also appears much darker.
In infrared light the distinction between the darker coloured spurs and the brighter corolla is lost, with the whole flower appearing monotone.
Comparison of a Siberian Red barked Dogwood (Cornus alba 'Elegantissima') flower in visible light (top), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (bottom).
The plant has variegated leaves, but the variegation is not easily apparent in ultraviolet and infrared. In infrared the leaves appear much brighter.
The flowers appear much darker in ultraviolet. In infrared the flowers have a similar tonality to how they appear in visible light, except that the ovaries appear as bright as the petals.
Comparison of a Iris sibirica 'Tropic-night' flower in visible light (left), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (right).
In ultraviolet light the flower's throat has clear dark markings along the centre, acting as a Nectar guide to bees and other insects that can see UV light.
In infrared light the flower appears quite monotone, lacking the contrasting patterns on the petals that are present in visible and ultraviolet light. The veins on the petals are just visible in infrared.
Comparison of a Orange Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica var. aurantiaca) flower in visible light (left), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (right).
In ultraviolet the anthers and stigma appear much darker than they do in visible light. There are also UV markings at the base of the petals. These are known as nectar guides, and are thought to help bees and other insects that can see ultraviolet light to hone in on the area of the flower where the nectar and pollen are located. In turn, this helps the flower get pollinated.
In infrared light the poppy appears much the same (in terms of tone) as it does under visible light.
Comparison of a Orange Hawkweed (Pilosella aurantiaca) flower in visible light (top), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (bottom).
The flower appears slightly different in ultraviolet compared to visible light. In UV the flower gets darker towards the centre of the flower, with an area quite a bit darker than the rest of the flower around the centre. The very centre (possibly the tips of petals that have yet to unfurl?) is quite bright.
In visible light the flower gets lighter towards the centre, while the very centre is darker.
In infrared light the flower does not have much tonal variation other than a slight dark ring around the centre of the flower (also present in visible light).
Comparison of a Yellow Day lily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus) flower in visible light (left), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (right).
In ultraviolet light the flower's throat has clear dark markings, acting as a Nectar guide to bees and other insects that can see UV light. The anthers also appear darker in UV.
In infrared light the anthers appear brighter than they do in visible light. The foliage behind the flower appears brighter as well.
A Wistera flower photographed in visible light (right), ultraviolet light (centre), and infrared light (right).
In visible light the flower appears white with a yellow colouration around the middle of the banner.
In ultraviolet light the base of the banner has a darker area (nectar guide).
In infrared light the flower does not seem to have any markings visible.
This image is free for you to use and is licensed under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you use this image please credit Dave Kennard / www.davidkennardphotography.com.
Spectral comparison of a Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) flower in reflected visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle) and infrared light (bottom).
The flower has a clear UV nectar guide pattern, with the petals appearing darker at the base in ultraviolet. The centre of the flower also appears much darker in ultraviolet.
In infrared the centre of the flower appears much brighter than it does under visible light.
This image is free for you to use and is licensed under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you use this image please credit Dave Kennard / www.davidkennardphotography.com.
Spectral comparison of the flowers of a Clematis montana cultivar. The top image shows the flowers in visible light, the middle image in ultraviolet light, and the bottom image in infrared light.
The petals do not have any UV markings visible, but the centre of the flower does appear much darker in ultraviolet.
The leaves and flowers both reflect similar amounts of infrared light.
This image is free for you to use and is licensed under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you use this image please credit Dave Kennard / www.davidkennardphotography.com.
Spectral comparison of Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) using reflected visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle), and infrared light (bottom). In ultraviolet light the flower's UV nectar guides) are visible, being darker near the centre of the flower than the edges.
This image is free for you to use and is licensed under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you use this image please credit Dave Kennard / www.davidkennardphotography.com.
Spectral comparison of a Common Daisy flower (Bellis perennis) photographed with reflected visible light (top), ultraviolet light (middle), and infrared light (bottom). The flower does not have any ultraviolet markings on its petals, but the centre appears much darker in ultraviolet. The tonality of the flower is much the same under infrared light as it is in visible light.
This image is free for you to use and is licensed under the Creative Commons licence CC-BY-SA 3.0. If you use this image please credit Dave Kennard / www.davidkennardphotography.com.
