Isabelle Stagg

Inspiration for Green shadow

The hidden life of trees by Peter Wohlleben

The colour gap in chlorophyll is also responsible for another phenomenon: green shadows. If beeches allow no more than 3 per cent of sunlight to reach the forest floor, it should be almost dark down there during the day. But it isn’t, as you can see for yourself when you take a walk in the forest. Yet hardly any other plants grow here. The reason is that shadows are not all the same colour. Although many shades of colour are filtered out in the forest canopy-for example, very little red and blue make their way through-this is not the case for the “trash” colour green. Because the trees can’t use it, some of it reaches the ground. Therefore, the forest is transfused with a subdued green light that just happens to have a relaxing effect on the human psyche.