Mo Devlin
December 2024 - Sun Dew plants
About the Image(s)
One of my side hobbies is raising carnivorous plants. I have several but the ones I like the most are called the Sun Dew plants. The blades of the plant are covered with tiny hairs each tipped with a sticky glue to hold prey. Every once in a while the plant will send out a long shoot that contains a flower and seeds. It always seems like they get confused on the way to the top.
Nikon Z9, 105mm. HDR 5exposures. 1/200 @f16”.
8 comments posted
Hi Mo: Quite a plant with the double circle of the stem, very unique to say the least. The subject seems to be top lit and serves to show really good detail and texture on the stem. The slight shadow on the front of the flower buds adds a point of interest.
The jet black background was a great choice for the Sun Dew and adds impact to the scene. Great work with a lot of mood.
e Posted: 12/14/2024 04:33:22
The jet black background was a great choice for the Sun Dew and adds impact to the scene. Great work with a lot of mood.
e Posted: 12/14/2024 04:33:22
Thanks Murphy. It was lit in a soft box with overhead LED lights on low power. I use two Godox M1 light panels for side lighting. Very reliable and easy to manipulate. I appreciate the comments. Posted: 12/14/2024 13:27:16
Mo, why am I not surprised that you raise carnivorous plants in addition to everything else - living in North Carolina as I do (Venus flytrap the state carnivorous flower, home to 36 of the 66 species of such plants in the US) I see them frequently at local nature preserves and in the wild at the coast.Image is pretty cool but a question - when I open the image and look closely, I see a lot of colored speckles - is that light refracting from the hairs or ? and some of the stem areas that face the top left corner seem as if the light from that corner was maybe too bright? Not sure I know the correct way to say that. Yes, black background works best. Ray Posted: 12/16/2024 00:30:07
The Sundew plant is a very efficient eating machine. The entire plant is covered with tiny cilia at the tip of each is a gland that excretes a tiny drop of sticky mucilage. On the blades (leaves) it is much longer with more sticky stuff when an insect lands on the blade it will slowly roll to wrap around the "meal". The petiole (stalk of the flower) is covered as well, albeit very short cilia. The red dot you see is the mucilage. Here's a close up. Posted: 12/16/2024 11:56:43
Spider being trapped. When the animal makes contact with the blade, it will slowly wrap around and start consuming the insect. Posted: 12/16/2024 12:34:44
Mo: The bottom image that shows the Spider being consumed in the clutches of the Sun Dew plant is a great story telling nature image. Thanks for sharing with us.
We have one specie of Sun Dew in Washington State, have not found one yet but will keep looking.
Posted: 12/19/2024 02:53:58
We have one specie of Sun Dew in Washington State, have not found one yet but will keep looking.
Posted: 12/19/2024 02:53:58
What a (interesting) story with this beautiful image and flower.
The composition (the flower in fact) is surprising, as the nature of the flower is (and how this eating machine works). Posted: 12/19/2024 10:12:23
The composition (the flower in fact) is surprising, as the nature of the flower is (and how this eating machine works). Posted: 12/19/2024 10:12:23
Beautiful shot. Much appreciated botany class! Posted: 12/19/2024 13:30:04