The Little Family Grows!

I thought I’d surprised you and let you know that the garden has grown to host 5 different species of carnivorous plant.

Previously, I’ve brought up my progress with the Venus Fly Trap, the Drosera Capensis Alba and lastly, Nepenthes Bloody Mary but now we have 2 additions.

Sarracenia, Velvet

On the left, with the tall shoots, I am particularly fond of this new addition given its size. The wind blows it around in a mental fashion, a bit like those giant inflatable men you see sometimes!

Darlingtonia, Californica

Very young by the looks of it and also very crowded. They’ll be fine as they are for now.

Mostly I’ve seen flies, spiders and even a ladybug visit the plants and most fall victim to one of these carnivores if they hang around long enough. Who can blame them, I’ve essentially put out a deadly buffet for them.

I’m wrapping my head around creating a miniature bog for them all to live in, this will probably have to be done when the plants are dorment during winter so it’s just a planning phase for the time being.

Health and growth seem to be steady for all the plants, it’s been very, very wet this past month or so, so really keeping my fingers crossed for some sun! Here’s the gang all together for a group selfie.

Sarracenia Velvet and Darlingtonia will get their own individual pages wrote up about them as I study them over the next week or so, so expect to see some in depth analysis there. The strawberries I planted haven’t grown at all so I expect the crowns were dead when I brought them. Not to fret, I will be coming into some trims from another strawberry plant so I can continue with that as my little side project soon enough!

Pardon me for being rude, it was not me it was my food

This week, we look more into thechemistry behind the Venus Fly Trap, and explore how it uses its methods to obtain key nutrients from insects that it catches.
Previously, I wrote that due to the acidity of its soil, the Venus Fly Trap is forced to become carnivorous in order to adapt to its environment. Using its mouths to trap wandering prey as they unknowingly stroll into their impending doom.

This head is beginning to open after a week of digesting a spider.

Slowly, the insect is digested for all its useful nutrients so that to plant may continue to thrive and grow. Although plants don’t have tendons that can grab, chew and swallow their food. This raises a question, how does it get food to its stomach?
Well, the heads are infact both mouth and stomach in one. In truth, we aren’t totally sure how the process all works but the theory goes that cells may be compressed inside the mouth, this tension may actually hold the mouth open and its the insects weight and movement that break this tension and cause it to snap shut. Another hypothesis, mechanical movement in the trigger hairs changes water pressure within the cells, where the cells are expanded by water pressure and the trap closes as the cell tissue relaxes.

So how does the plant break its food down?

Just like our stomachs, the Venus Fly Trap uses acidic digestive fluids that dissolve soft tissues and cell membranes of the insect. Using enzymes it will digest DNA, amino acids and other cellular molecules into smell edible pieces that can be used for energy, growth and development. All that remains afterwards is an eerie exoskeleton of the insect!

Closer look at the recently digested meal.

Is it possible to travel faster than light?

To begin to understand this question you must first understand what light itself is. A seemingly obvious notion at first, it is the very thing that allows us to observe our surroundings, but you must also understand how light works.
Thanks to the power of todays communication technologies, it is becoming increasingly common knowledge that light does not travel at infinite speeds. In fact, the finite speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. This was first discovered by Ole Christensen Roemer in 1676 who studied Jupiter’s moons orbital patterns. He discovered the closer we are to Jupiter in space, the earlier moons appeared from behind it. At times when we are far from Jupiter, the moons appear later from behind it. His conclusions had birthed the speed of light.
Although, his actual work led him to believe the speed of light was around 140,000 miles per second, however, modern technology has allowed us to determine a more accurate speed.

Ole Christensen Roemer

So, we would need to travel at this speed to travel faster than light itself. So the answer to our original question is, quite bluntly, no.

To give you examples of our own records, the fastest unmanned vehicle is the HTV-2, that travelled at 13,201 miles per hour. The fastest manned vehicle is the North American X-15, piloted by William J. Knight, travelling 4,510 miles per hour.

Google search: HTV-2

However, to reach a speed of 186,000 miles per second (or 669,600,000 miles per hour) the factors of an engines power or a humans piloting skills are shot out of the window (not literally, of course).
Light can travel at such speeds because it has no mass, as it is made up of photons which equally have no mass. In Stephen Hawking’s, A Brief History of Time, he wrote than this is explained in Albert Einstein’s famous theory E = mc² (E = energy, m = mass, c = speed of light).
Einstein’s law was that nothing may travel faster than the speed of light. It is difficult to simplify this process but the more energy an object uses (say a car engine) this will add to its mass, making it harder for it to keep increasing its speed (resulting in a car only being able to reach a top speed and not forever accelerating faster and faster). This means than light, and other waves of no mass, can travel at or faster than the speed of light.

Sheldon from Big Bang Theory in a “doppler effect costume”. Waves increase in size the further they move away from the source.

This puts a rather dull dousing on the fantasy of galactic-light-speed-space-travel like in Star Wars, but also confirms we cannot travel faster than time itself as light allows us to experience time, however, that is a lesson for another day…

Google Search: Light Speed

Drosera Capensis Alba

Last time I wrote that I would be bringing in a new addition, and here we are…

Drosera Capensis Alba

This beautiful contraption uses a sticky dew to catch its prey – as you see from above it is quite popular amongst the local flies.

It differs from other carnivorous plants in this way so it can take advantage of the dew that sweeps across our gardens each morning, however, I read online that leaving in direct sunlight too long can essentially “dry out” the plant. This is something I’ll have to monitor over the next few days so any advice you may have could prove vital.

It joins both Hector (Venus Fly Trap) and Henrietta (Nepenthes) on my balcony outside, although I may move the Drosera Capensis to another pot to avoid any weight or “overcrowding” issues.

Unlike other Drosera Capensis, the Alba variety is given this name because it keeps its lush green colour. As a result, I feel Jessica can be the only befitting name (there was also Jordi but you may not be familiar with him) for this carnivore.

As an insect becomes trapped in this sticky fluid, the plant will slowly begin to curl and close in on the prey. Above you can see this fly has just landed – in fact, if I could upload a video I would because it’s still alive and moving!

You can see the curvature at the top of the image (which I can just about count 4 flies) as this begins to close. None of the arms are at a fully curved stage so I’ll watch closely and ensure I get greater images for the next blog.

In terms of watering, treat it like other carnivores in the sense of giving it distilled water. I read that eventually Drosera Capensis produces flowers so it will not require too much watering – just keep the soil damp and you should be ok. Budding botanists online have advised that these are some of the easiest carnivores to look after!

Cycles!

As we reach June the summer weather should be hitting us now here in London, UK. It’s been late and after a wet week our gardens will be after some real sunshine.

Hector has completed a cycle!

All of the heads that were present when I first brought my Venus Fly Trap have now gone and the image above is a fresh batch of leafs and heads that have grown with me. We have a warm week forecast ahead of us so I’m hoping for some real growth now!

Hector and Henrietta in their permanent home

New sacs are forming on my Nepenthes, Bloody Mary, and have even began attracting visitors. I’m just hoping to show you a real catch soon!

As the old from last year have passed, the new life in your garden will be prepared for summer and should be just about ready for long warm nights, make sure you can take full advantage of the late evening sunlight.

This week I cared for my neighbours plants and the cycle of strawberries is going well (not that I can say the same for my own which are still only crowns!)

It’s a time of year that keeps gardeners and botanists at their busiest and I’ll be adding a new addition to my collection very soon. It is important to keep a careful eye out for pests and bugs that will try to eat your precious fruits but with the right care and determination you should be able to have lovely edible fruit at the end of July!

How does a Star die?

Deep inside the core of a Star a war wages against gravity – the larger the Star, the more intense the battle. It is locked in a constant state of producing energy to push against the Star collapsing in on itself under the sheer weight of its own gravity (if you can attempt to imagine such a thing). While there is still Hydrogen burning to Helium in the core, energy is produced and creates an equal pressure against the gravity.

Google Search: Star in Space

So what happens when the Hydrogen runs out?

As the Hydrogen fades the pressure holding up the gravity will weaken and the core cools very quickly, leaving an outer shell of Hydrogen and Helium that has been pushed to the surface. As the gravity collapses this causes the core to rapidly heat up once again, and at 100m degrees Helium nuclei will fuse together.

This will cause further energy to be released and stops its own collapse once again, this time Carbon and Oxygen are produced. The larger the Star, the longer the fusion can carry out its reaction. As the energy runs out again, the collapse will happen again and as the temperature rises further, elements such as Magnesium, Neon, Sodium and Aluminium are produced.

This fusion process will continue inside the Star’s core going from one element to the next until it has burnt through all the elements we know.

Google Search: Red Giant

Finally, after everything has been burnt the Star will turn into pure Iron and this is when the fusion will stop. Each of the elements will be stacked on top of eachother in layers ending with Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, Oxygen and so on.

Within seconds – bang.

Google Search: Supernova

With no energy left holding its weight, the sun will collapse and turn into a Supernova.

Could this happen to our Sun?

It will, but not anytime soon. Our Sun will still take a very long time to die however, it is worth turning out attention to one of the nearest Star – Betelgeuse, located in the constellation of Orion.

Google Search: Betelgeuse Star

Only 600 light-years away, Betelgeuse is a Red Giant (a dying Star) and could Supernova any day between tomorrow and the next million years. It will shine with the power of a thousand Suns and will appear about the size of our Moon!

Betelgeuse, according to Scientists, has dimmed about 15% in the last 10 years.

Does this spell the end of life if Betelgeuse explodes?

Probably not – I will cover this topic more on another day but it is certainly not anything we need to start worrying about.

What Can Plants Do For You?

We’ve learned a lot over the past few weeks, in terms of looking after carnivorous plants anyway, and it’s time to look back and reflect on what this has done for me and why I would encourage all of us to look after all kinds of plant life.

I personally feel that there are 3 key skills which a botanist develops over time and they are:

• Patience
• Discipline
• Humility

Buddhists popularly keep the Bonsai tree, as this helps them on the spiritual path to a higher understanding of our existence – if you believe that sort of thing. They practiced the art of “penjing” or “pun-sai” which means to create a small landscape in a container or pot and in turn, relates to the Chinese philosophical tradition of Taoism.

Google Search: Image of Buddhist and Taoist New Year Display

Taoism is thinking and living in a natural way and less towards the thinking of modern living. Being one with nature, understanding the flow of life and going with the flow are key parts of what Taoism teaches. Even if Taoism and spiritualism isn’t your thing, you can still better shape your own mind as you get to know the world around you.

Google Search: Bonsai Tree

Meeting this with a child like enthusiasm will make your experience invaluable and enjoyable – even if your like me and struggle in the beginning, it will take time but you’ll get there. I will adapt the new found skills I am developing to my own life.

At first it may not sound very useful, or I may not even spot when it is useful but someone who is well humbled and patient will better handle a disruptive colleague at work, or the dissertation paper you are writing will be easier to find its flow. I myself have not got a particular interest in studying Taoism in depth (though now I’ve mentioned it..), however I’m sure harnessing and practicing these skills over time will aid me in many factors throughout life.

Whether it be carnivorous plants, a bonsai, fruits and vegetables or even plain old daffodils, you can find an abundance of pleasure from cultivating the life that has given so much to us throughout the history of our existence and with the increasing worries of human interference on nature – it is vitally important that we all do our bit to give back to our home.

Beginners Guide To (viewing) The Galaxy

This week sees the first step away from plants and right out into the depths of space, with planets. We’ll cover how and when you can spot planets, and the International Space Station, as the Earth orbits through the Solar System.

I had recently signed up to the free email service from NASA, named “Spot The Station” in which you input your geographical location and you’ll receive periodic emails on when is best to look into the sky to spot the International Space Station (ISS), as it flies over the night sky – weather permitting.

Last night, I combined this with my “SkyView Free” app which shows you what is in the sky wherever you point your smartphone. Very nifty.

Whilst I did see the International Space Station, it’s the above image that really grabbed my attention. I noticed a tiny dot in the sky and pointed my phone at it – Saturn was in visible range (sadly Mars, to its right, was not visible). To make that more understandable, below is the image taken away from the app.

You can just about make out Saturn in the night sky, even with all the interfering light from London. I decided I needed a closer look so I carefully zoomed in and snapped again.

Now you can really see Jupiter, but how can I be sure?

I carefully zoomed into the image once again and had to screenshot the picture, apologies for the low quality image.

Now I was certain – you can even make out Saturn’s rings! Although I feel the above is the best pic of the bunch, I did also grab the below image but this is very low quality.

You’ll have a much better experience if you live outside of London. (Or, quite plainly, if you own a telescope.) But I thought it was important to share this with those who perhaps are novice at sky watching and who didn’t know it were possible to view the sky’s with a smartphone.

I had intended to video the ISS flying over but the smartphone camera made the image too dark to capture, so I only have several images like that below.

Here is the image taken away from the app (sadly, zooming did not make this image any clearer).

Jupiter was also vaguely visible but as you see below, this appears as just a faint dot no matter how much you zoom.

Not ground breaking stuff I know – but remember this is just for anyone who is a novice sky-watcher with a smartphone.

So, to recap, you can see it for yourself with the following steps:

1. Sign up to the email service Spot the Station (if you want to view ISS fly over – it moves fast! About 6 mins visiblity every 1hr 37mins.)
2. Download SkyView Free app which is available on iOS devices (unsure about others)
3. Wait for a clear night sky, point your smartphone and enjoy the show.

There is also an app I’d recommend (but you must pay – £3.99 I think I paid) called GoSkyWatch and it’s a more detailed view of the skies, but you cannot see through your camera view so matching with your eye can be difficult.

It’s a fun and simple way to check out the skies quickly, kids will love this too, and you’ll get to learn the constellations and planets in no time!

Get Inspired.

On April 18th I wrote my first entry to this blog. I decided I’d start from a novice level of science knowledge and learn and grow with the online community as I prepared to enter a 4 year M.Sc course in Planetary Science with Astronomy.

I didn’t plan to stay too strictly with just Astronomy but also explore other chemistries and biologies of science. So far I’ve stuck with the topic of carnivorous plants but I thought I’d throw in a curveball and tell you why I believe it is important for all of us to use our scientific potential whether your into the subject or not.

Throughout the history of Science and the evolution of man we are littered with ingenious discoveries that whilst be from different subjects, all share the same component. They are met with a mind that casts the correct eye and spots the fundamental need for an upgrade, an evolution, a revolution to improve human life.

Galileo, Shakespeare, Mother Teresa, Christopher Columbus, George Orwell, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Stephen Hawking.

These are all names you are probably familiar with worldwide and are just an example of people who all shared a passion and hunger to defy the norm and go against the grain and believe what they thought to be true, despite all the distractions of life and negative influences around them.

But what if we are one short?

That could be you, or it could be me, or it could be anyone of the billions of human beings on this planet. What we don’t know all to well is the people around the pioneers of human life who helped create that key spark of discovery.

Think about what we have invented and evolved, from a technological point of view. Now think about what we haven’t discovered or invented. Think about what we might have missed and our current generation of humans are too distracted or misguided to see fatal flaws. Perhaps we are too advanced or too ignorant to see the room for revolutionary improvement. Because I promise you that every human being has the potential to be a Hawking or a Columbus or a Darwin, it is important to encourage yourself and those around you to reach these heights and enter the history books.

Nepenthes, Bloody Mary

I couldn’t resist jumping straight in with Nepenthes, Bloody Mary (who I named Henrietta to make things even more complicated) and taking a further in depth look at this beautiful carnivorous plant.

Each leaf is accompanied by a sac/pod of liquid

Nepenthes appears to grow these sacs from each leaf, creating a sort of backwards raindrop affect where the sac reaches for the sky instead of hanging low.

Nepenthes ranges into 150 different species coming from all over the globe, such as; China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillippines, Madagascar, Australia, India AND Sri Lanka!

Making its own fluid, the trap creates a syrupy goo that drowns any prey who dares wonder inside. This fluid contacts ‘viscoelastic biopolymers’ that could be vital to trapping insects, especially the flying variety. Much like the Venus Fly Trap, Henrietta will use this carnivorous advantage to obtain crucial nutrients that it is unable to get through the soil around it. The inside of the pod also is walled with a wax coating that makes escape near impossible!

The lip of the plant is a structure called ‘peristome’ which creates a slippery surface that any curious insects could slip on – it appears Henrietta is really keen on ensuring she gets her visitors.

Fully grown mature Nepenthes (image taken from Google search)

They do not require too much or too harsh sunlight, instead I will leave mine on the windowsill where the double glazing on my windows will reduce a lot of the glare. They do however, require damp soil but I have been informed not to let them sit in water.

I believe my species in particular to be of the ‘vieillardii‘ which actually descend from New Caladonia. It will be interesting to see how this plant grows into its intricate design.