What can I say. Some views are detrimental to your mental health ! OMG – cover that up ! Thank you Tourdumonde autstop.fr What should I plant on my rooftop to block the view of that ugly building ? – this is something I have heard countless times. Now … Throwing a plant […]
Ligules and Stipules Oh My !
Ligule The word ligule comes from Latin “ligula” and means strap. It is a thin outgrowth at the junction of a leaf and leafstalk. Ligules occur only in some grass species. Basically, it acts in a passive way in protecting the culm and leaves that it encloses. Mainly from the entry of water, dust […]
UV – What I can not see !
LIGHT – The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from low frequency, low energy radio waves to high frequency, high energy gamma rays. The human eye however, only perceives visible light. This lies in a narrow range from around 380 nm to 780 nm of the spectrum. Interestingly enough, this visible light is continuous! In […]
Where did all my Butterflies go?
The Basics Butterflies and moths are two evolutionarily related group of insects. They are in the Lepidoptera. All of them have wings covered with scales. Their family name comes from the words for scaly (lepido) and winged (ptera). Most butterflies are very colorful and usually active exclusively during the day. In contrast, most moths are […]
WHAT A WASTE !
Introduction There are many steps in the metabolism of plants from photosynthesis to energy production. All of these steps require an endless supply of chemical substances for them to work properly. Included in these are proteins, acids, bases, and other molecular compounds. The total involved directly or indirectly in these processes number in the […]
BARK !
Introduction Bark is the outermost layer of tissue on a mature plant. It is made mostly of dead rectangular cork cells that fit tightly together. It is pretty much watertight! The bark on trees and shrubs is as distinctive and individual as the species that produce them. Not surprising, there is a large variation in […]
BLUE !
In my top three favorite spring flowers is Scilla siberica – Siberian squill. It even has blue pollen ! Thank you Nora Goosen ! And since my favorite color is blue (cerulean blue and especially a sky blue) this spring flowering bulb rules ! Looking from afar at planter full of Scilla is like looking […]
THE SHAPE OF LEAVES
What is a leaf? A leaf is the main organ attached to the stem. It is specialized for photosynthesis. Over time, it has evolved into a plethora of different shapes, sizes and characteristics. These vary considerably depending largely on their adaptation to climate. Leaves have also adapted to the available sunlight, presence of grazing animals, […]
MODERN FLOWERING PLANTS
Although still very old ( as in 125 million years ! ) flowering plants are considered “modern”. This is because they produce a seed inside a vessel. Unlike their ancestors, they also produce a flower containing both male and female reproductive structures. Flowering plants evolved into two main groups. Monocotyledons and dicotyledons. A cotyledon is […]
