They look purple to me, too, but my field guides all describe them as blue.
I’ve never seen one; it would be interesting to see how they look in real life instead of photos.
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I can’t speak for the American ones, but our local gentians are threading the thin line between the two colors. In my opinion, they’re purple. But I can see why other people may clock them as blue, especially depending on the weather.
Here’s one I photographed recently in overcast weather. It does look duller and colder, but then again, so does everything else. Still, blue it is:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/320726573
Here’s another one I photographed during a lovely sunny day a few years ago. To me, in that light it looks purple. But other people may call it warm blue?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/225849534
It’s really hard to find the exact lines where one color ends and another begins. Not only are they a spectrum to begin with, but every person’s color vision is a little different, and based on their society and culture – what’s considered a separate color may also differ. Colors are fun! Until you have to use a field guide and whichever people have written it had a very different perception than you…
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Very true! They look bright blue to me but I am slightly colorblind so that might factor into it. I usually see gentians described as blue in literature but lighting might factor into it, as you say. Those G. asclepiadea are beautiful, the leaves remind me of Penstemon digitalis :)
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Thanks and good luck with your project. Keep us posted.
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We see that most clearly in the thread for “Red” organisms, many (most?) of which are more of a ruddy or rusty shade of brown.
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Structural colours trend to spread a bit at the higher frequencies like blue and violet. A slight change in angle and you’ve got stronger teals and purples.
Here’s a cuckoo wasp that I managed to get real close to back in September. Eye-level on a utility pole, just while I was walking down the street!
Luckily I had my Olympus TG in my pocket!
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Chrysis something?? How beautiful! I’ve seen Chrysis Conica and it was very similar
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Amazing! Could you provide a link to the observation?
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Chrysis angolensis.
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Thanks!
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Unfortunately it was already dead when I photographed it, but it still had the colors it had when it was living:
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