The red pigment in tomatoes is lycopene, while Zeaxanthin produces the yellow in corn. The dominant carotenoid in leaves is lutein and violaxanthin is found in yellow flowers. These pigments differ only slightly in chemical structure from beta-carotene. Just as the artist uses a brush and paints to produce a work of art, nature is skilled at synthesizing the appropriate amounts and types of carotenoids to create spectacular arrangements of colors. Virtually all of the colored leaves, flowers, and berries in Alaska contain carotenoids, even the blue and purple ones.
Plants are able to mix carotenoids in just the right proportions to produce the desired colors.
They will chemically modify or complex them with other molecules to create additional colors. These ubiquitous pigments are also responsible for many of the colors in animals, fishes, birds, and insects. Warblers, robins, and grosbeaks are colored with yellow, orange, and red carotenoids. They produce the red flesh and skin colors of salmon, the orange color of crabs, and the varied pigments in butterflies and other insects. They even occur in humans, especially in the skin.