Bribery by Design

Fruits taste good because plants engineered them over millions of years of co-evolution with animals. A fruit is an edible bribe wrapped around seeds, built to lure an animal that eats it whole and drops the seeds far away in a pile of ready-made fertilizer.

This is why fruits change color as they ripen. Unripe green fruits blend into the leaves while the seeds are still maturing. Ripe fruits turn red, orange, or yellow to signal that the seeds are ready and the sweet reward is now on offer. Color is advertising, aimed at a specific audience.