An inside view: the world around us - 3

Dedicated to all who loved, helped,
believed, supported, no matter what,
and with whom I could not be close ...

All good things come to an end. I am immensely sorry that this post will be the final in a series of fascinating - at least I hope for it - traveling in the micro and sometimes even the nanoworld, about which 50 years ago, without exaggeration, the great physicist Feynman said: “There is plenty of room at the bottom ”. Indeed, there is much more space below than we could have imagined. Down there, bacteria live, plants and animals multiply, our daily appliances work from the coffee maker to Watson (Watson, IBM), an unimaginable set of processes take place there, which people often cannot understand and comprehend to people, but which define our world.

Much, of course, remains outside of our consideration in this series of publications, but even the material that was presented and will be presented to the public today is more than enough to make even the most skeptical man in the street look around and see the complexity of the world. Without going deep into the philosophy of Kant, my maxim is this: I would like to see most of the Russian-speaking population who can read this post (whether it be Ukrainians, Russians, Balts, or anyone else), interested and enthusiastic - in my case, science and research - and, I think, I have succeeded a little in this field.
')

While the spring-summer season of 2012 was lasting, I managed to collect a wide selection of materials about the hidden plant life, which, in fact, I plan to share with dear readers. The text will not be much, more and more pictures - so make yourself comfortable and enjoy!

Remover: Unless otherwise noted, plant photos taken from Wikipedia

Plant flowers

Dandelion

Let's start with the most simple and seemingly ordinary colors that can only surround us. Many, I believe, consider the dandelion ( Taraxacum ) to be no more than a weed, although it belongs to the aster family, that is, by and large, it is not much different from the same aster or gerbera (see Inside view: the world around us ).

The shape of the petal cells is similar to other asters, for example, aster itself:

And even more like some kind of worm:

Pollen spheres rolling on the surface of Dune worms

However, the shape of the pistil is striking - this is some kind of alien:

Pestle with adhering pollen

Chamomile

Also, a representative of the family of Astrovs - chamomile ( Matricaria ) , more precisely, decorative chamomile, but this has nothing to do with the issue under consideration. But what seemed interesting was the shape of the cells. It is strikingly different from the "classic aster", more rounded:

The surface of the petal - hemp and hummocks in the swamp

But with the flower itself, this time it was not very lucky - it was still planning to see it bloom:

Unblown tubular chamomile flowers

I'm afraid to be wrong, but, in my opinion, I managed to capture a single piece of pollen - what a striking difference with a dandelion, isn't it ?!

Chamomile pollen

Tulip and lily

Tulip

Lily

Strange as it may seem, but the tulip ( Tulipa ) belongs entirely to the same family as the lily ( Lilium ) , that is, the lily. Therefore, these two plants really have an unusually many similarities.

Here, for example, is the surface of a tulip pestle:

Tulip Pestle Surface

And similar forests covering the pistil can be found in the lily:

Lily pestle surface - thickets and stalactites from the ceiling

By the way, so that there is no doubt that the pistil is an important part of the whole flower and only for the sake of reproduction and the plant lives - pay attention to how many respiratory pores are on it:

Tulip Pestle Surface: Respiratory Field

Unfortunately, in good quality, micrographs of tulip pollen could not be obtained (for comparison with lily pollen). I can only note that it is really somewhat different from the latter. But take a look at these particles of pollen - do not they look like Faberge eggs, only in micro execution?

Nature is undoubtedly an excellent jeweler and Faberge jumped into the manufacture of eggs

The junction of two lily petals is like a zip-latch or zipper on our clothes:

Zip-locker made by Nature

Orchid

A source

And here is one of the most popular ornamental house plants, arrived to us from distant countries - the orchid ( Orchidaceae ) . The most interesting plant to study, because even the surface of the petals of the inflorescence has a different structure: on one side - some cells, on the other - others, which is probably related to the functions performed by the cells:

The surface of the orchid petals

I mean nothing like that, but I like this photo!

Hibiscus

Another very common plant with very delicate flowers - hibiscus ( Hibiscus ) . The surface of the petals of this flower resembles something daisy, although it has absolutely nothing to do with it:

Hibiscus petal: worms are now in vogue

Of course, maybe this is just some kind of “dirt”, but for dirt it’s too good shape. Below are pieces of hibiscus pollen:

Hibiscus pollen is similar to the planet, at least to the satellite of Jupiter - Europe, covered with a crust of ice

Crocus (Saffron)

A source

Crocus ( Crocus ) or colloquial saffron. Yes, this is not only a spice in your kitchen, but also a beautiful flower that I liked because of its inner beauty:

Saffron pestle under the microscope: how can you get past this?

And the pollen - as in the selection, ideal round balls, textured from one side:

Crocus pollen - perfect geometry

Hydrangea

One day, one wonderful spring morning in our laboratory hydrangea ( Hydrangea ) bloomed. It seems to be nothing unusual: a large, spherical inflorescence, which is difficult to confuse with others, and the surface of the petals is familiar at first glance - the daisy reminds:

Surface of the hydrangea petals

However, a strange blob settled on the pestle of this flower, its shape more resembling a starfish ... or a head crab - who is closer to that. Apparently, this is some kind of microorganism parasitizing (or living in symbiosis ?!) with hydrangea flowers:

Hydrangea pestle with sticking parasite ...

Chestnut

A source

Now to the larger plants - trees and shrubs. One of the most beautiful flowering plants in our area is, of course, a chestnut tree ( Castanea ) . It is difficult not to notice these Christmas trees, inflorescences, when you walk in the middle-end of April along the alleys around the main building of Moscow State University.

It looks amazing, but what is hidden inside? And there is a magical forest of 100-200 micron processes, forming a slightly rough surface of the inflorescence petal:

Magic forest ...

And from time to time you can stumble on pollen:

Balls for microregbi ready

But if you leave a plucked flower for some time, then it immediately acquires its own microflora. Thick sponge mold and the same starfish, which has already been seen on the surface of the hydrangea pistil:

Food pyramid in action: mold and microorganisms devouring chestnut inflorescence

Lilac

And finally, the shrub, which at the May holidays is definitely attacked by people who want to bring a little spring to the house - lilac ( Syringa ) .

What surprised me in lilac is the shape of the cells. They do not resemble the slender rows of “bricks” laid and similar to each other, as is the case with other examined plants, but are arranged like stones of old buildings, sometimes making them wonder at all these bizarre bends and conjugation of scattered cells into a single whole - a petal.

Something chaotic is present in the form of these cells, but as you know, order is born out of chaos

For all the time I did not find a single pollen particle that would not be charged, and I begin to suspect that it is not without reason that it is easier for the “dielectric” pollen to reach the goal (of another flower, for example), because in the microcosm even small electric fields can firmly attach this piece new life to the carrier - from insects to humans:

Here is such an insidious it - charging the sample ...

Tiny inflorescences, among which some of us in our childhood looked for four-leafed ones and ate them, either for good luck, or believing in luck, seem huge under a microscope, and sometimes it is not entirely clear what all the same before our eyes: