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nAture

FoRTy ShaDeS

oF ReD

by JaMeS ClaRke, PhoTogRaPhy by MaRy bRoaDley

n my youth, a long way from purple - and it occurs naturally in red Cleopatra used red lipstick and so did the
here and some time ago, but post cabbage and red onions.
Renaissance, autumn was distinctly
ired and gold. In South Africa, autumn It’s said, unfairly, that ‘redheads’ are quick
is most pronounced in the Western Cape to anger which is probably based on our
when the vineyards change to red and perception of the emotional aspects of
copper and the leaves of some trees turn red: ‘red with rage’, ‘red alert’, ‘seeing
red and then brown and fall off. red’ and so on. The red in the 2 percent
of humans who are redheaded is from
Oak trees, for some reason, hang on to the pigment, pheomelanin, which also
their leaves, sometimes right through accounts for the red colour of our lips.
winter even though they change colour.
Oaks wait until people can feel spring is in Apes and monkeys – in fact all of us
the air and are standing, smugly, admiring primates – distinguish the full range of the
their clean lawns. That’s when the oaks colours. As somebody said, “I’ve never
mutter to themselves: “Now!” And they seen a colour I don’t like.” But dogs and
dump their leaves. cattle cannot see red. The bullfighter’s
red cape might as well be green. The bull
In autumn, the trees cease turning charges at it only because it is moving.
sunlight into energy, via the process
known as photosynthesis, and start Dogs have what is called dichromacy
absorbing it into their trunks and roots - - they can see blues and yellows but
strengthening themselves for winter. The cannot tell red from green - both appear
withdrawal of chlorophyl allows the yellow grey.
to shine through, the yellow that was there
all the time. The red is from a pigment To the Chinese, red symbolises
called anthocyanin which is not present happpiness. To us in the West, it more
through spring and summer. The trees often symbolises danger. It can also
only produce it in autumn. Anthocyanin, symbolise love and passion – and lust:
by the way, is the same pigment that the red light district of Amsterdam, for
women use for dying their hair red or example (and all those ‘scarlet’ women!).

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