This reminds me of honeycomb, so there is an immediate recognition and story telling implication with this. Is there some symbolic meaning why the hex shapes are green?
The reason is actually pretty complicated and starts with the different ways that bees, birds, and humans see the world. According to “Why Are So Many Bird Flowers Red?” by Miguel A. Rodríguez-Gironés and Luis Santamaría, the eyes of most bees, including honeybees, contain three types of color-detecting cone cells (trichromacy), each of which is sensitive to different wavelengths of light in a different band. The three sensitivity peaks fall at near-ultraviolet, violet-indigo, and yellow-green.
Human eyes also contain three types of cone cells, but the peak sensitivities fall around indigo-violet, yellow-green, yellow.
****HERE in lies part of the choice for the choice in Yellow-green choice. The limits of creating the honeycomb closer to the yellow hue made the look of the center more ROUND the green color choice makes hex shape easier to see. The fact that you commented on the color choice says my choice of coloring engages the onlooker drawing them in. I made a jump in theory that Fae see colors in different ways. There are limits of posting a comment does not allow me to post a correlating pictorial graph which is why I have posted that graph underneath the Flag.*********
Birds go us and bees one better with four types of cones (tetrachromacy) peaking at near-UV, indigo, green, and yellow (Goldsmith 2006). There is a graphic attempt to visualize the differences in color sensitivity between humans, honeybees, and hummingbirds: which I cant post here but will I will upload to the original post.
Notice that none of these photoreceptors peaks in the red range, yet we humans (and most birds) see red reasonably well. That’s because each type of cone cell can be stimulated by wavelengths near as well as at its peak. The sensitivity declines with increasing distance from the peak wavelength, so it takes some pretty intense red light to stimulate the yellow receptors of birds and humans.
Leaving out some evolutionary bells and whistles that may enhance avian and insect color vision, bees’ eyes are substantially less sensitive toward the red end of the spectrum than our eyes or birds’ eyes.
Ahh -- in trying to explain the scientific reason I of course am left with attempting to address the symbolic reason behind the green hex shapes. I really appreciate Nathan's query's.. I shall have to see what Καλλιόπη ( Calliope ) the muse might assist me with - Purple Mark would be interested in know I am getting solutions via dreaming.
Your explanation for using color is brilliant! Do the Fae of this house have a direct relationship with bees then? That is the implied symbolism. Bees have been used quite extensively in heraldry so have many specific meanings, but Fae not being directly influenced by human activities I imagine would have their own naturalistic symbolism.
The Fae curiosity is only matched by our own, it could be said that they being one of the older races their interest to the natural order of things might encourage them to borrow attributes from that which cased their intrigue in the first place.
This reminds me of honeycomb, so there is an immediate recognition and story telling implication with this. Is there some symbolic meaning why the hex shapes are green?
ReplyDeleteThe reason is actually pretty complicated and starts with the different ways that bees, birds, and humans see the world.
ReplyDeleteAccording to “Why Are So Many Bird Flowers Red?” by Miguel A. Rodríguez-Gironés and Luis Santamaría, the eyes of most bees, including honeybees, contain three types of color-detecting cone cells (trichromacy), each of which is sensitive to different wavelengths of light in a different band. The three sensitivity peaks fall at near-ultraviolet, violet-indigo, and yellow-green.
Human eyes also contain three types of cone cells, but the peak sensitivities fall around indigo-violet, yellow-green, yellow.
****HERE in lies part of the choice for the choice in Yellow-green choice. The limits of creating the honeycomb closer to the yellow hue made the look of the center more ROUND the green color choice makes hex shape easier to see. The fact that you commented on the color choice says my choice of coloring engages the onlooker drawing them in. I made a jump in theory that Fae see colors in different ways.
There are limits of posting a comment does not allow me to post a correlating pictorial graph which is why I have posted that graph underneath the Flag.*********
Birds go us and bees one better with four types of cones (tetrachromacy) peaking at near-UV, indigo, green, and yellow (Goldsmith 2006). There is a graphic attempt to visualize the differences in color sensitivity between humans, honeybees, and hummingbirds: which I cant post here but will I will upload to the original post.
Notice that none of these photoreceptors peaks in the red range, yet we humans (and most birds) see red reasonably well. That’s because each type of cone cell can be stimulated by wavelengths near as well as at its peak. The sensitivity declines with increasing distance from the peak wavelength, so it takes some pretty intense red light to stimulate the yellow receptors of birds and humans.
Leaving out some evolutionary bells and whistles that may enhance avian and insect color vision, bees’ eyes are substantially less sensitive toward the red end of the spectrum than our eyes or birds’ eyes.
Ahh -- in trying to explain the scientific reason I of course am left with attempting to address the symbolic reason behind the green hex shapes. I really appreciate Nathan's query's.. I shall have to see what Καλλιόπη ( Calliope ) the muse might assist me with - Purple Mark would be interested in know I am getting solutions via dreaming.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation for using color is brilliant! Do the Fae of this house have a direct relationship with bees then? That is the implied symbolism. Bees have been used quite extensively in heraldry so have many specific meanings, but Fae not being directly influenced by human activities I imagine would have their own naturalistic symbolism.
ReplyDeleteThe Fae curiosity is only matched by our own, it could be said that they being one of the older races their interest to the natural order of things might encourage them to borrow attributes from that which cased their intrigue in the first place.
ReplyDelete