Angie

A great resources for finding open and sustainable teaching and learning materials. libguides.humboldt.edu/opene…

Queen of carbon, champion of women in science nature.com/articles/d41586-0…

The flower starts off producing a yellow nectar that has a pH~6 and it turns red within a couple of hours due to alkalinization (pH~9). The nectars displayed differences in spectral properties and LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the pigment was an imine conjugate of proline and

The true pollinator of Nesocodon flowers is unknown, but several Mauritian species produce colored nectars and are visited and pollinated by day geckos. We wanted to crack the enigma of the red nectar and whether it would attract day geckos (Phelsuma)

They brought amazing insights, new experiments and data that helped pin down the biochemistry of the coloration by the previously unknown pigment "nesocodin" and its role in attracting geckos.

It has blue bell shaped flowers and blood red nectar. It was love at first sight. What ensued over the years was a journey that I will forever hold dear to my heart. Every collaborator/author on this paper came onto the stage at the right moment.

A couple of years ago me and my then postdoctoral advisor, @ClayCar92280263 were facilitating a middle school outreach tour led by the @cbsconservatory at @umncbs. We still remember as we first laid eyes on the flowers of Nesocodon mauritianus endemic to the island of Mauritius

It's published: The story of the blood red nectar from a flower endemic to the island of Mauritius. Let me summarize the story and the biochemistry behind what makes this nectar attractive to day geckos. pnas.org/content/119/5/e2114…