Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Heat plays an important role in flower-pollinator interactions. According to new research, heat patterns serve as signatures for flowers, advertising their availability to passing bees.
When scientists at the University of Bristol analyzed the dispersion of heat across the petals of common garden flowers, like poppies and daisies, they found heat patterns reflect the visual patterns produced by the colored pedals. Researchers also found the heat patterns were an average of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius warmer than other parts of the flower.