Why are daffodils yellow?
The color of the daffodil is linked to the pollinators it attracts. In order to produce the next generation, flowers have a lot of tricks to draw in insects to move the pollen to the stamen. Competition is fierce for those critters! The information for what color is best for the daffodil after thousands of years of hit-or-miss genetics, is locked within the gene. Hybridizers have come up with new and bolder colors, and in doing so may lose the entire purpose of the color which is to attract pollinators.The color of the daffodil is linked to the pollinators it attracts. In order to produce the next generation, flowers have a lot of tricks to draw in insects to move the pollen to the stamen. Competition is fierce for those critters! The information for what color is best for the daffodil after thousands of years of hit-or-miss genetics, is locked within the gene. Hybridizers have come up with new and bolder colors, and in doing so may lose the entire purpose of the color which is to attract pollinators.