After lunch today I pointed my UV camera at some flowers instead of plover eggs. Look how interesting the colours are to insect vision. Ferrets can see a little more into the UV than us, but only see in two colours. They really don’t miss much compared to us humans with three colours. But the ladybird vision shows how this flower is trying to signal to insects with deeper UV vision, hoping to spread it’s pollen.

Iris in ferret, human and ladybird vision

Flower in ferret, human and ladybird vision

I know nothing about South African flowering plants, so if you know what species this is do let me know.