#caryophyllales

Spring is here in North Texas :-)

Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule)

Spotted Medick (Medicago arabica)

Common Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum purpureum)

Deadly Allure

Much like flowers, many carnivorous plants utilize ultraviolet light (UV) reflectance patterns to lure insects. Although an abundant component of sunlight, UV is invisible to humans but it is highly conspicuous to the insect eye. Here at nightfall, a UV torch reveals a normally hidden fluorescence of blue light on the pitchers of Nepenthes mirabilis. Although this fluorescence itself may not be strong enough in the day to attract insects, its presence shows patterns in UV reflectance which may guide prey to the nectar-rich portions of the pitcher, such as the peristome and underside of the lid. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo)

Polycarpon Plants

Polycarpon tetraphyllum

Arizona's saguaro cacti, a symbol of the U.S. West, are leaning, losing arms and in some cases falling over during the state's record streak of extreme heat, a scientist said on Tuesday. Summer monsoon rains the cacti rely on have failed to arrive, testing the desert giants' ability to survive in the wild as well as in cities after temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) for 25 days in Phoenix, said Tania Hernandez. "These plants are adapted to this heat, but at some point the heat needs to cool down and the water needs to come," said Hernandez, a research scientist at Phoenix's 140-acre (57-hectare) Desert Botanical Garden, which has over 2/3 of all cactus species, including saguaros which can grow to over 40 feet (12 meters).

05-JUL-2023

Mesembryanthemum sp.

Fourleaf Manyseed

*The smaller plant, not the one with the large leaves

Polycarpon tetraphyllum