An Intelligent Plant

Learn about the plant that changes the color of its flowers to attract different animals,

coming up on today's Creation Moment.

And now here's our Creation Moment host, Ian Taylor.

Scientists have known for some time that hummingbirds prefer brightly colored flowers.

On the other hand, all of us know that white is the most easily seen color at night.

That means that moths that pollinate flowers will more easily find the white flowers.

The question is, what is a flower to do when it is pollinated by hummingbirds during part of its flowering season

and night-flying moths later on?

That's the problem faced by a flowering plant called a gylia.

Hummingbirds arrive to pollinate the flowers in mid-July.

However, they leave in late August as the weather cools.

Also in late August, the night-flying hawk moth arrives to begin pollinating the flower.

This arrangement continues until late September.

To attract both hummingbird and moth during its long flowering season,

the gylia provides bright red flowers favoured by the hummingbirds until late August.

Then it offers white flowers to attract the hawk moth.

Evolutionary scientists call this an example of evolutionary strategy.

Think about that for a moment.

How would it know which colours are preferred by hummingbirds and which are preferred by moths?

A flower could no more decide to change its colour than you and I can decide to grow an inch taller.

Both logic and science say that the gylia special features are intelligently designed

by a truly gifted engineer.

Why not then recognise the work of our all-wise creator for what it is?

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