Skip to Content

What is associated with yellow in nature?

What is associated with yellow in nature?

Yellow is a bright, warm color that is associated with sunshine, happiness, optimism, and energy. In nature, yellow is the color of sunflowers, daffodils, dandelions, lemons, bananas, and bees. It signifies joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.

Plants

Many flowering plants and trees have yellow flowers, fruits, or foliage. Popular yellow flowering plants include daffodils, sunflowers, tulips, orchids, honeysuckles, and black-eyed Susans. Trees with yellow flowers include acacias, goldenrain trees, and some magnolias and tulip trees.

Fruits that are typically yellow when ripe include lemons, bananas, pears, peachs, apricots, mangos, pineapples, and papayas. Yellow vegetables include summer squash, peppers, corn, and garlic.

Yellow Plants Examples
Flowers Sunflowers, daffodils, dandelions, tulips, daisies
Fruits Lemons, bananas, mangos, pineapples
Vegetables Corn, yellow squash, peppers
Trees Acacias, goldenrain trees, yellow poplars

Yellow or golden foliage is also common in plants and trees. This includes goldenrod, forsythia, black-eyed Susans, marigolds, daylilies, yarrow, figs, alder trees, gingko trees, cottonwoods, and larches. The yellow pigments in plants include carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and betalains.

Animals

Many animals have yellow coloring or markings. This includes mammals like lions, tigers, leopards, giraffes, deer, jackrabbits, and lemurs. Reptiles with yellow include snakes like boa constrictors and pythons, chameleons, geckos, and some turtles.

Yellow Animals Examples
Mammals Lions, tigers, giraffes, deer, jackrabbits
Birds Canaries, goldfinches, orioles, meadowlarks
Reptiles Pythons, chameleons, geckos
Insects Bees, butterflies, lightning bugs
Fish Yellow tang, yellowtail damselfish

Many species of birds have yellow feathers like canaries, goldfinches, orioles, meadowlarks, and parakeets. Insects associated with yellow include bees, butterflies, lightning bugs, and some wasps and spiders. Fish with yellow coloration include yellow tang, yellowtail damselfish, yellow perch, and yellowfin tuna.

The yellow pigments in animals include pteridines, purines, carotenoids, and conjugated double bonds. Yellow provides camouflage in dry grasslands for predators. It also attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies to flowers.

Geology

In geology, yellow minerals and gemstones are common. Sulfur is a bright yellow mineral found near volcanic regions and hot springs. Pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, is a pale brass-yellow mineral. Amber is fossilized tree resin that ranges from yellow to orange-brown.

Yellow Minerals Examples
Sulfur Volcanic areas, hot springs
Pyrite “Fool’s gold”
Amber Fossilized tree resin
Citrine Quartz crystal, gemstone

Citrine is a yellow variety of quartz crystal that is used as a gemstone. Other yellow gemstones include yellow diamonds, topaz, and yellow sapphire. The yellow color in many minerals is due to iron impurities.

Soil color can range from yellow to brown based on mineral composition. Yellow soils are common in tropical and subtropical regions. They contain hydrated iron oxides that result in a yellowish or reddish hue.

Weather and Sky

In weather and the sky, yellow is associated with sunshine and lightning. Sunshine appears yellow because the sun’s light contains all colors of the rainbow, but the dominant wavelength we see is in the yellow-green region.

Lightning produces a yellow flash during electrical storms. This is caused by the heating of air around the discharge of electricity. Pollutants in the air can also cause the sky or sun to appear more yellow, especially during hazy conditions.

Yellow in Weather Cause
Sunshine Dominant wavelengths in yellow-green region
Lightning Heated air around electrical discharge
Hazy skies Pollutants scattering blue light

Other yellow sky phenomena include rainbows, which contain all colors, and noctilucent clouds that can have a yellowish hue high in the atmosphere at dusk. Fall foliage turning yellow signals the changing of the seasons.

Human Culture

In human culture, yellow has both positive and negative associations. It is often used to represent sunshine, joy, and happiness. However, it can also symbolize cowardice, jealousy, and deceit in some contexts.

Yellow Symbolism Meaning
Positive Sunshine, joy, happiness, optimism
Negative Cowardice, jealousy, deceit
Neutral Intellect, energy, warning

The positive meanings derive from its association with the sun, flowers, and gold. The negative meanings arose over time in cultural references. More neutral meanings include intellect, energy, and serving as a warning signal.

In Western cultures, yellow is sometimes associated with discrimination against East Asians. While in China, yellow was historically the color of royalty and power. Yellow ribbons are used to welcome home loved ones and to represent support for military troops.

Conclusion

In summary, yellow is a prominent color in nature that is linked to sunshine, happiness, and energy. It is commonly found in flowering plants, fruits, animals, minerals, and the sky and sun. Yellow has both positive and negative cultural symbolism and meanings. Understanding the broad associations of the color yellow in the natural world and human society provides greater insight into its importance.