Does Food Coloring Affect the Color of a Flower?

How It Starts

• When a flower is planted in the ground, it gets all the water and nutrients it needs by pulling them from the soil through its roots. Flowers are tenacious though, and even when their roots have been cut off, they pull the water they need through their stems.

How It Works

• The leaves and petals of flowers are covered with tiny holes that are too small for the eye to see. These holes are called stomata. Water is drawn up through the stem and evaporates through the stomata in an action called transpiration. This means that whatever is in the water is drawn up through the stem and into the flower and petals.

It's Not Just Flowers

• Every plant experiences transpiration and adopts the color of any dye it is being fed. Even a stalk of celery changes color when placed in a container of dyed water.

What We Learn From This

• All plants need to be fed and will find a way to be nourished. Flowers and plants, including those that produce food for people, that are planted in soil that has been polluted by chemicals continue to eat, pulling the chemicals from the ground into them. This shows us how important it is to make sure our soil is free of pollutants so that our flowers and foods are free of pollutants too.