«Although the fist plants appeared on this earth 500 million years ago, another 50 millions years passed before they began producing flowers, and even then blooms were not boldly prominent. About 100 millions years ago, long before human beings developed, flowers as they’re known today began to appear in various colors. Insects can be credited for determining which colors flourished, since insects are sensitive to the shorter wavelengths of color and actually only see four sets of wavelengths, orange-green, green-blue, blue-violet and ultraviolet. Flower color has evolved due to its ability or inability to attract insects for pollination; few red flowers have survived in the natural world, but many blue and purple flowers bloom in the spring and summer, when insects are most active.»
Designer’s Guide to Color, Chronicle Books, p. 104.