There are important reasons that nature comes in diverse colors. By integrating a variety of colors into our Permaculture designs, we can increase the number of benefits within the entire system. In animals, colors often evolve over time to help them communicate with each other, blend in with their surroundings, and hide from predators.
Other times, animals may want to stand out a bit. During breeding time, many birds feathers become brighter and more vibrant to attract a mate.
Flowers use colors to attract pollinators (like bees, butterflies, birds, and insects) to ensure that they will go to seed and produce subsequent generations. The flowers of annuals are often more vibrant than perennials, since they only have one season to guarantee their life cycle.
In edible plants, colors can help us with proper identification, differentiating between safe and poisonous varieties. They may also help us to determine what type of nutrition the foods contain (e.g., Vitamin A is often found in foods that are red, yellow, or orange). When teaching nutrition to younger students, we sometimes hear people talking about ‘eating the rainbow’. When there is a diversity of colors on our plates, it generally means that there is also a diversity of nutrients.
There is a reason that when we go to parties, the rooms are often decorated with a diversity of bright colors. Colors are also fun and festive! They add an element of interest, beauty, and celebration to our environmental surroundings. Life should be fun, so use Permaculture designs to paint your surroundings with the colors of life that bring you joy and happiness!
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