Xanthophylls provide some of the last vibrant color we see each autumn in trees’ yellow leaves. They also offer some of the first yellows we see each spring. While I wait (impatiently) for my own daffodils to bloom, I have been enjoying seeing neighbors’ daffodils opening up.

I’m grateful for xanthophylls—though they’re something I never knew about before—because they fill our world with such beauty at a time when we’re all a bit color-starved. It’s as if they mirror little pieces of the sun for us here on earth.

In researching xanthophylls, I also stumbled across this cool at-home experiment for those of you (maybe the ones with kids climbing the walls during the pandemic?) who might enjoy a science experiment on xanthophylls and other plant pigments. The experiment focuses on fall leaves, but it also says you can use other items. So try it with spring flowers that are popping up in your yard. If you do the experiment, I hope you’ll share the results and some photos.

Join me in the hunt for beauty?
Where do you see beauty in a broken world? Want to add your own images during the 31-day journey? If so, feel free to comment below with your Instagram handle, and tag your Insta posts with #beautyinabrokenworld. You’ll find me there @pixofhope.