Bees have five eyes and can see colours far into the ultra-violet spectrum (which is beyond purple in the rainbow of colours that we see.) These colours are invisible to humans and would damage our eyes if we could see them. All species on Earth, have developed the ability to see colours, as a tool to help survive and navigate through the environments in which they live. The bee has developed a beyond purple eyesight, so that it can see hidden coloured patterns on flowers, that guide it to its nectar food source.

Make three drawings, paintings or photographs of rooms or objects in your house, seen from the point of view of a bee. Think about the bee’s five eyes and what it sees that is invisible to us.

by Nina Royle