Ultraviolet camo made from natural plant dyes could help bird hunters

A camouflage material made from natural plant dyes can conceal objects in both visible light and ultraviolet, which could be useful for hunters trying to avoid being spotted by birds that can see in UV.

To make the material, Anowar Hossain at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, extracted dyes from a range of plant species, including Honduran mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), mango trees (Mangifera indica) and tea plants (Camellia sinensis), and used them to print a leafy design on cotton fabric.

Hossain tested the material’s camouflage abilities …