Why is So Much of Nature Green?
The green coloring of plants is not just something pretty, to attract birds and insects (like some bright flowers). The green coloring is as necessary to the plant’s life as our red blood is to our own life. The green color is in certain cells, chlorophyl cells, in leaves and sometimes in stems of plants. The chlorophyl cells are little factories. They take in water and minerals from the ground, through the roots of the plant, and they take in carbon dioxide from the air. Now they have the materials for their work. They need energy. They get this from the sunlight, and now they set to work, breaking down the carbon dioxide. The oxygen they set free, and it escapes into the air. The carbon, water and minerals are mixed and changed into starch and sugar and other materials which the plant needs. These manufactured foods then go from the factory (the green cells) to the other parts of the plant and build it up. The green cells go on making more materials, as long as they have water and minerals, air, sunlight and enough heat.
With very few exceptions the whole plant kingdom depends for its life on the green cells or chlorophyl.
