Chroma-

You know it's interesting... Animals that are brightly colored are advertising their unpalatability (and toxicity) to predators. Aposematic coloring, we nerds call it. Yet plants that are brightly colored are typically considered to be extra nutritious. I'm still thinking of those beets I have for dinner this week =). They're chock full of folic acid, and also have lots of potassium and vitamin C. Or carrots, eponymous for beta-carotene (aka "vitamin A"), which is essential for healthy eyes. Although my eye doctor told me that carrots are not a preventative measure. Not that I asked... (and not that they seem to be working... Though perhaps they are, considering the thickness of my dad's glasses.) I get hungry quickly, so he caught me eating my daily carrot snack (because I like them) in the middle of Lenscrafters.

As further proof of the benefits of colorful veggies, researchers are snazzing up humdrum staples such as potatoes and rice with orange & purple (for the potatoes), and golden (rice) varieties. (Yes, I know neither "to snazz" nor it's conjugation "snazzing" are actually words, but it was either that or "snazzify" which also fails to qualify.) In the case of potatoes (and maybe rice, I'm not sure), these colored varieties exist naturally. There are lots of amazing potatoes in Peru, where the crop evolved and was domesticated. (For an interesting discussion of potatoes and 3 other major domesticated plant species, check out The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. It's a good read, although I found the history of these plants' interaction with people much more interesting and tenable than the author's thesis.)

In fact, the philosophy of plants seems to directly contradict that of animals. Flowers are brightly colored for the express purpose of attracting animals (to facilitate pollination). All just a part of that kinky menage known as plant sex ;-).