Kate's Corner: Coloring changing flowers

Mother's Day is this weekend so a lot of us may be getting our mom flowers. Why not make your flowers unique and different by changing their color?

Here's what you need:

- White flowers (carnations, daisies, roses, etc)

- Water

- Scissors

- Food coloring

First, we are going to take our white flowers and cut the stem at an angle. Then in the flower's vase, add your mom's favorite color. My mom's favorite is blue so I will add blue food coloring into the water.

You can even make each flower a different color by putting each flower in different colored water.

Let your flowers sit in your colored water for at least 12 hours. The longer the better. You'll start to see the peddles change color after an hour or two. Even better after 24 hours.

What's happening here?

Plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight and create oxygen and their food. As water evaporated from the leaves, buds, and petals through a process called transpiration, water is pulled up through the stem of the flower. As water evaporate in the petals, a space is left at the top of the flower, the stem, similarly to a straw, pulls up the water from the face to replace the missing water. The water can travel up the stem because of cohesion. The colored water travels up the stem into the petals and you can see how the evaporated water is replaced by your colored water when the flower starts to turn a new color.

I hope your mom enjoys her magical flowers this Sunday.