They wear white hats in the tropics to reflect the heat. Black will
absorb it.

The pansy IS NOT a plant that likes hot weather. Out front we have four
pots of pansies, two light grey and two black. They get equal sun,
equal watering. The pansies* in the two grey pots are still doing well
but the two black pots have lost the pansies.
Could this be because of the color of the pot??

*These pansies were of the big diameter bloom variety. And they were,
but as the summer progresses, the blooms are now your run of the mill
size. I wonder what caused this change??