I'm thankful for pigments

I’m thankful for pigments – chemicals that absorb some colors of light, but reflect some. There are the pigments in my eyes that let me see color. Then, even more important, the pigments in leaves, which absorb some of the sun’s energy, so that plants can make food. (Not green pigments – green light mostly goes right through leaves, or bounces off them.) Some of these pigments are still there when the green is gone, making fall colors. And then there are signal pigments, in many animals and birds, and even plants, which help them attract mates, or warn off enemies, or attract pollinating insects. And pigments that make things just plain beautiful.

Thanks for reading!