Through a narrative peppered with anecdotes of a life spent pursuing botanical knowledge around the world, he reveals the profound ways that efforts to understand and exploit plant color have influenced every sphere of human life, from organic chemistry to Renaissance painting to the highly lucrative orchid trade.

Beginning with potent reminders of how deeply interwoven plant colors are with human life and culture-from the shifting hues that told early humans when fruits and vegetables were edible to the indigo dyes that signified royalty for later generations-Lee moves easily through details of pigments, the evolution of color perception, the nature of light, and dozens of other topics. Nature’s Palette is the fully ripened fruit of that journey-a highly illustrated, immensely entertaining exploration of the science of plant color. The evolutionary wonder of the fern’s extravagant beauty filled Lee with awe-and set him on a career-long journey to understand everything about plant colors. Surrounded by the wonders of the jungle, Lee found his attention drawn to one plant in particular, a species of fern whose electric blue leaves shimmered amidst the surrounding green.

Though he didn’t realize it at the time, David Lee began this book twenty-five years ago as he was hiking in the mountains outside Kuala Lumpur. In this new edition of the highly-acclaimed guide to seeing, photographing and understanding nature's optical delights, the authors have added over 50 new images and provided new material on experiments you can try yourself.ĭownload Nature s Palette Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle A wealth of rare and spectacular photographs, many in full color, illustrate the phenomena throughout. Separating myth from reality, it outlines the basic principles involved, and supports them with many figures and references. But how many of us really understand how a rainbow is formed, why the setting sun is red and flattened, or even why the sky at night is not absolutely black? This beautiful and informative guide provides clear explanations to all naturally occurring optical phenomena seen with the naked eye, including shadows, halos, water optics, mirages and a host of other spectacles. We live in a world of optical marvels - from the commonplace but beautiful rainbow, to the rare and eerie superior mirage. Download Color and Light in Nature Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Nature knows no color line pdf