Large cattail

Typha latifolia, called ‘large cattail’ in English, is a water plant that is mainly found in eutrophic and acid water, along the shores of ponds, ditches and in swamps. This perennial has an upward and wide-spread growth habit. It is easy proliferating through rhizomes. If planted in a garden pond, locking it in a good pond basket is the message. The leaves are broad, linear and blue-green colored. Large cattail blooms from June to September with double cigar-shaped ears. The male ears are at the top, the female right below. After wind fertilization, the characteristic brown colored ‘cigars' form the female flowers. The seeds of cattail develop from the flowers on the cigars. The seed fluff is normally transported by the wind. The plant is hardy, endures sea breeze, air pollution and has a beautiful winter silhouette.

 

A fluorescent flea

Almost daily we have to deal with arthropods such as insects, spiders and their kind around us. Yet we realize less often that these animals can provide a beautiful light show.

Fireflies and other bioluminescent animals produce their luminous shine through a chemical reaction. Other arthropods produce light via fluorescence. At certain wavelengths of light including ultraviolet light, molecules in their exoskeleton absorb this light and radiate it again in a different color with a (longer) wavelength, (there are 'excited electrons' involved, but let's skip the details here)