Many common items found in nature have a pink coloration without the need for artificial dyes or pigments. Understanding what gives these items their pink hues can reveal interesting facts about our natural world. In this article, we will explore some of the most notable naturally pink items, looking at where they come from and why they have this distinctive color.
Pink Foods
Some of the most familiar naturally pink items are certain foods and drinks. Here are a few examples:
Pink grapefruit – Grapefruits have a pinkish hue due to the presence of lycopene, a carotenoid pigment. The level of lycopene depends on the variety, with Ruby Red grapefruits being deepest in color.
Salmon – Salmon flesh obtains its pink color from astaxanthin, a reddish pigment found in the crustaceans and algae that salmon eat. Wild salmon tend to be pinker due to their diverse diet.
Pink pineapples – Certain pineapple varieties have a rosy pink flesh rather than yellow. This is caused by the accumulation of lycopene when the pineapple is very ripe.
Pink lemons – A genetic mutation causes some lemons to produce pink flesh rather than yellow. They still taste like regular lemons.
Dragonfruit – The pink and white dragonfruit is colored by betalains, antioxidant pigments that also give beets their hue.
Pink guava – Tropical pink guavas owe their color to lycopene levels. They are one of the richest natural sources of this antioxidant.
Pink peppers – Ripe pink peppercorns develop a rosy tone from carotenoid pigments called violaxanthin, betanin, and isobetanin.
Pink champagnes and rosés – Many pink wines get their color when the dark grape skins are allowed brief contact with the juice during production. The skins’ anthocyanin pigments dissolve into the liquid.
Pink Minerals and Gems
Pink minerals and gemstones occur when impurities or structural properties selectively absorb colors of light. Here are some of the most notable:
Rose quartz – This pale translucent pink mineral gets its color from trace amounts of titanium, iron, or manganese compounds. It is found around the world and often used in jewelry.
Pink halite – Halite is more commonly known as rock salt. When containing red halophilic microbes, evaporated underground salt deposits can form vivid pink halite crystals.
Rhodochrosite – This vibrant pink manganese carbonate mineral is the national gemstone of Argentina. Its name means “rose colored” in Greek.
Pink opal – Opals display flashes of spectral color due to their unique structure. Pink opals exhibit more red wavelengths.
Morganite – This pale pink beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate is a variety of the mineral beryl. The rose tint comes from manganese impurities.
Pink topaz – Topaz with pink hues can form when exposed to radiation or from impurity elements like chromium. These are quite rare in nature.
Pink sapphire – Trace elements like chromium and iron can give some sapphire gems a pink or reddish-pink coloration.
Pink pearls – Natural pearls form pink when they contain copper compounds. Cultured freshwater pearls are also commonly dyed pink.
Pink Plants and Flowers
Many striking plants and flowers across various species display natural pink pigmentation:
Pink orchids – There are over 25,000 orchid species, with many bearing pink flowers. Different pigments produce the diverse pink, magenta, and purple orchid hues.
Cherry blossoms – The iconic cherry tree blossoms in Washington D.C. and across Japan every spring emerge in varying shades of pink.
Pink lotus flowers – These aquatic flowers frequently found in Buddhism have delicate pink petals. Wild varieties are generally more pink than cultivated hybrids.
Pink roses – Pink rose color develops from pigments called anthocyanins. The specific composition and concentration controls the depth of pink.
Pink oleander – This vibrant pink-flowered shrub thrives in warm climates and belongs to the dogbane family. All parts are toxic if ingested.
Pink hibiscus – Tropical hibiscus bloom in pink depending on anthocyanin content. Some varieties are bicolored with pink and white petals.
Pink proteas – Proteas are an unusual flowering plant native to South Africa. Some species produce striking large fuzzy pink blooms.
Pink hydrangeas – Hydrangea color is affected by soil pH. More acidic soils result in blue flowers, while neutral/alkaline soils cause pink ones.
Pink Animals
Pink coloration also appears across the animal kingdom for various biological reasons:
Flamingos – Flamingos get their distinctive pink hue from their diet of brine shrimp and blue-green algae which contain natural carotenoid pigments.
Pink star coral – This vibrant coral species obtains its bright color from its main photosynthetic algae symbiont, Symbiodinium trenchi.
Pink dolphins – Amazon river dolphins have a pinkish color due to increased blood flow close to the skin to dissipate heat in warm waters.
Salmon – During spawning season, salmon develop a bright pink-red hue due to blood vessels dilating under their skin. Their scales also take on a pink tinge.
Pink fairy armadillos – This small nocturnal armadillo has a rosy shell which acts as camouflage in their sandy environment.
Pink katydids – These large leaf insects exhibit various shades of pink to mimic the color of local flowers and evade predators.
Pink river dolphins – Rare pink river dolphins in the Amazon and Yangtze rivers likely use their color as communication.
Pink underwing moths – These moths flash bright pink hindwings to startle predators when threatened. The bright color serves as a warning.
Other Pink Items
Beyond food, nature, and animals, other notable naturally pink items include:
Pink sand beaches – Beaches with pink sand like Bermuda get their hue from fragments of red shells mixed in the coral grains.
Pink snow – In high altitude and arctic areas, snow can turn pink from algae growth, usually Chlamydomonas nivalis. This causes “watermelon snow”.
Pink lakes – Extremely salty lakes like Lake Retba in Senegal and Lake Hillier in Australia often develop a striking pink color from haloarchaea microbes.
Pink sunsets – When dust and clouds are present, more red light from the setting sun can scatter, causing vivid pink skies.
Pink cotton candy – Cotton candy is made by heating and spinning sugar to create fine threads. Food coloring is added to produce the classic pink color.
Wicklow pink granite – This popular type of granite from Ireland features light pink feldspar crystals scattered through the stone.
Pink noise – In audio, pink noise refers to a signal with equal energy per octave. This results in a warm, full sound.
Conclusion
As we have seen, pink occurs extensively across the natural world for a wide range of reasons. While many commercial pink products rely on artificial coloring, there are countless examples of organisms, minerals, and other items exhibiting natural pink hues due to pigments, light scattering, impurities, and other chemical and physical factors that selectively reflect or transmit reddish wavelengths of light. The next time you spot something pink in nature, consider what unique set of conditions gave rise to its rosy color.
