Hooked on Science: Color-changing flowers

Materials

• 2 white carnation flowers
• 2 clear drinking glasses
• Water
• Red food coloring

Instructions

• STEP 1: Fill each clear drinking glass halfway with water. Add red food coloring to one of the glasses and mix.
• STEP 2: Cut the stem of each white carnation at an angle. Place one of the white carnations into the water without red food coloring and the other into the water with red food coloring.
• STEP 3: Wait 24 hours and observe the white carnation flowers. Using your observations, construct an argument that plants have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.

Explanation

The colored water moves up the stem into the petals, changing the color of the carnation from white to red.