3 replies to this topic

[Damon]

Noe, D. 2014. Sarracenia purpurea L. (Sarraceniaceae) Pitcher Plant. Plant photographed in visible and ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF). Two Sets. http://www.ultraviol...-pitcher-plant/

SET 1

Sweetwater, NJ
11 November 2014
NJ Native Species

Comment
I tried fluorescing these before with my so called "UV flashlight" and got nothing. What a piece of scrap metal that thing is. The trusty Blak-Ray lights it up of course. What a neat plant in UVIVFL. I know the water in these plants contains some or a combination of enzymes, bacteria and other possible digestion helping organisms. Those hairs are waxy and downward pointing so when an insect begins crawling down to get to the "good stuff" it falls into the liquid and thus has written it's epitaph. It drowns and is eventually dissolved by the plant. Cool!

I read in Smithsonian that some ants are attracted to the fluorescing rims of a different species of pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana (which is not native to NJ). http://www.smithsoni...0948058/?no-ist
The rim of my plant is not fluorescing like their pictures show though. Instead it's mainly in the water with mine.

I could definitely see (no pun intended) an insect getting attracted to the water in the ones I took below!

Visible Light: Canon SX50 Unmodified, LED, 4 s @ f/8 ISO 80, No Filters.


UVIVFL: Canon SX50 Unmodified, Blak-Ray B-100AP, 8 s @ f/8 ISO 80, No Filters.


Diptych


SET 2
And the next contestant on the Price is Light....

Sweetwater, NJ
14 November 2014
NJ Native Species

Comment
Since these were full of water, I was curious what would happen when it freezes. Well it froze solid, but apparently came out fine as they looked the same the following day. This one had a piece missing from some earlier munching creature. I have seen beetles cut into these before. It produced an eerie glow taken from the side. The alluring blue paradise of extinction was frozen at the time of this picture.

Another observation--practically every plant, including trees that I cut fluoresces blue in their interior structure. You can see this in the grasses cut here--although they are already blue so maybe not the best example...

Visible Light: Canon SX50 Unmodified, LED for light, 2 s @ f/8 ISO 80, No Filters.


UVIVFL: Canon SX50 Unmodified, Blak-Ray B-100AP, 5 s @ f/8 ISO 80, No Filters.


Diptych

[colinbm]

You're da man Damon.....fantastic !
Col

[Andrea B.]

Damon - please start separate threads for some of this stuff!!
Like the Crab Spidey could go into its own thread.

I'll break up some of this long thread later after we accomplish the server move and its attendant miseries.

I'm pleased you were able to ID that Crab Spi.

Also be careful with the UV on the animals. We don't know the effect such exposure might have. Perhaps you will be able to check on this one if it inhabits a known area that you can revisit a couple of times to make sure it is still OK. Thanks.

The Pitcher Plant is spectacular!! I'd also love to see that one in UV if you can. Then we can put it into the botanical section. (No need to reshoot the whole thing. Frames don't have to "match". Just get a UV version when you can.)

[Damon]

Thanks Col!

Andrea, I will start separate threads. Feel free to move what I have put up and I will be more selective about future submissions and not keep making you schlep my post all over.
Fortunately I don't have the UV light on these spiders very long at all. Seconds even. They move too much. But I will of course keep that in mind with all these cool creatures I am blasting with the Blak-Rays.

I will get a UV of the pitcher plant.
This UV fluorescence is pretty exciting. I can't wait until spring to look at some of the many orchids I know of on the preserves where I work.
I suppose the reason that jumped out to me immediately was I spent under $200 and am now shooting a cool form of UV. Compared to reflected UV--It's like putting the battery in a watch as compared to putting the watch together.
The last week or so I have been like some kind of Mad Scientist lurching around my property, occasionally yelling "turn that light out"!

-D