A Beautiful Disturbance in the Force

Charles Darwin called the quick and sudden rise of flowering plants 130 million years ago an "abominable mystery." This aromatic explosion is strange because there appears to be no obvious ancestor. So, how did angiosperms spread out so quickly without the slow steady pace that Darwinian evolution requires? The mystery is ongoing. If I were to put on my guessing hat, I would say flying insects had something to do with it, but I'm just some guy on the internet.

I photographed these dahlias in a farm near the city. The fields were exploding with colour in the summer.

Resource

Great Moments in Plant Evolution, Part 4: The Dawn of Flowers
https://www.bbg.org/article/great_moments_in_plant_evolution_part_4_the_dawn_of_flowers

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