Plants and animals often use color to attract attention. Deep, rich colors also provide another, important benefit for plants. Scientists have shown that the substances responsible for these colors actually help protect plants from chemical damage.
"When we see plants, we see a lot of different colors," says Wayne Askew. "In particular, we see a lot of reds and greens and yellows." Askew is a professor of nutrition at the University of Utah.
The good news for us is that, when we eat colorful fruits and vegetables, the pigments (or colorings) protect us, too.
Built-in sunscreen
The pigments responsible for plant color belong to a class of chemicals known as antioxidants