Spike Weed Open

Posted by Twelvebit (Victoria, United States) on 30 April 2008 in Plant & Nature.

It looks like it's full of cotton, but I suppose it is some kind of trick to trap unsuspecting insects.

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Comments (9)

Anthony from Bielefeld, Germany

Great macro,nice colours.

30 Apr 2008 5:59am

@Anthony: Thanks, but not technically a "macro" shot since the original image as captured in the camera was not greater than life size.

Amir from Tehran, Iran

Look at the cotton-like substance sticking out of this one. Very nice focus. About my dogs, I am not sure if you were sarcastic or for real thought I have four dogs. That is in fact one dog plus Photoshop and boom you have four. If you would like to know how, please feel free to ask me.

30 Apr 2008 4:03pm

@Amir: I have no idea what that stuff is or what purpose it serves for the plant. I can only guess that it traps nutrients somehow --be they insects or other matter.

Well, others commented that it was Photoshopped, but I reserved the possibility that you had more than one dog, even if not four. Have you some technique besides cloning? Or some technique that is particularly fast? At the resolution on Animus the added dogs look pretty good. Can I assume you set your camera on a tripod and took four separate shots and then cloned the extra three dogs onto a single image --essentially combining four different shots? Or did you do something else?

danthro from Suburbia, United States

cool capture, but that is one gross looking plant!

30 Apr 2008 4:47pm

@danthro: So, I should cancel that free plant shipment I was sending your way?

Observing from Chester, United Kingdom

For insects it's bright and inviting, but looks a real meanie.

30 Apr 2008 7:26pm

@Observing: Not that I tested it, but I believe those spikes were actually soft --not at all like, say, thorns on a rose bush.

Margie from Auckland, New Zealand

This is an amazing looking plant...so alien to my antipodean eyes. :)

30 Apr 2008 8:58pm

@Margie: Well, I've never been to NZ, and haven't read or seen much about it either, excepting as it pertains to Peter Jackson and Peter Jackson movies, and movies like The Piano, and Whale Rider, etc. --and the many political blogs where NZ is one of the prime destinations for escaping Americans (and btw, know anyone who can help get me in?). But don't the Aussies have a lot of weird plants and animals?

Alun Lambert from Cheshire, United Kingdom

Cool looking shot, Nice close up

30 Apr 2008 9:20pm

@Alun Lambert: Thanks.

Daroru from Amagasaki, Japan

Yeah, don't know what it is but it's very interesting. Someone said yesterday maybe some kind of thistle? Don't thistles also have that wispy cotton-like stuff?

30 Apr 2008 11:41pm

@Daroru: I have no idea.

Rags from Plano, United States

interesting looking plant.

1 May 2008 4:09am

@Rags: They're all over the place around here --or so it seems driving down the road, though I guess some of them may be different on closer inspection. You don't have these up your way?