Alpine Buttercup

Abstract

Yellowstone National Park is a family friendly destination that has many fun educational activities for any age group to enjoy and learn. No matter where you go on the conservation, there will always be some form of plant life, whether you realize it or not. Nowadays, people take plants for granted, they assume that all plants are the same. My favorite part of Yellowstone is how much you end up appreciating all of the beautiful plants after you leave.

Wildflowers

Yellowstone is home to many different types of wildflowers such as the Lily, Buttercup, Rose, Mint, Pea and Sunflower families (Schreier, 2013). When I was a little girl, I remember playing “The Buttercup Game”, as do many others. You put a buttercup flower underneath your friends chin, and if their chin turns yellow they like butter. Although this seems like a silly game, researchers have come up with the theory that the reason your chin turns yellow is because of its organic pigments formed from chromoplasts and chloroplasts called Carotenoids. This organic pigment is known for reflecting yellow light because it absorbs green and blue (University of Cambridge, 2011). The epidermal layer of the flower petals is a thin layer that separates the plant from the outer environment. This is where light is transferred from the flower to the chin. The buttercup is known to have two of these thin layers, while other flowers have only one. This makes the amount of light reflected more prevalent than many other flowers (University of Cambridge, 2011).

Yellowstone contains many different types of wildflowers such as the Lily, Buttercup, Rose, Mint, Pea and Sunflower families (Schreier, 2013). As stated above, Yellowstone is a place where families are able to go to have fun without even realizing they are being educated. This is proven by the very popular “Buttercup Game”. While I was enjoying the game I was not questioning why there was yellow under my chin, but now I know that it was not just because I enjoy butter.

-P. Harjani

References

Schreier, C. (2013). “Wildflowers”. Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Media. Retrieved on October 8, 2015.

Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins. University of Cambridge. (2011, December 14). Retrieved October 7, 2015.

(Photo) Alpine Buttercup. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2015, from http://healthyhomegardening.com/Plant.php?pid=1282