Nature Magnified

Often times the littlest and smallest of things have the most important roles in determining the outcome of an entire being.




The back of a rose geranium herb magnified at 310x.
The little white specks are oil pockets that release the herb scent when you pop em between your fingers.




Charcoal made from burnt bamboo at 50x magnification. The little holes trap odor particles. Instead of dumping a shitload of Febreze all over the place, get some bamboo charcoal (you can put it in the fridge too) and your home will be odor-free. It's also pretty interesting that burnt (dead) charcoal should look like a bunch of skulls.




Epidermal and guard cells on the back of a Dayflower petal, 141x magnification. It's amazing how no matter how small and randomly the little cells may be shaped, they all fit together into one nice big puzzle. And if you were that one little cell reacting and organizing itself based on only the nearby cells that are local to you, you wouldn't even realize that a picture bigger than yourself (or metaphorically put, a higher meaning/purpose) is emerging.




Round leaf sundew (insectivorous plant) magnified 200x. The brown thingies are the sensors that make the plant close once it comes into contact with the prey so it can digest it.




These cells of a Dayflower has been dyed with a fluorescent substance and magnified at 564x. It's like a whole another galaxy inside each of these cells.



The "furs" inside the seed of a pumpkin flower at 80x. These mini "furs" are designed to protect the delicate ovule so it can grow peacefully.



Putting aside the fact that a lot of the colors in these images were produced by man-made dyes, we need to realize, and then more importantly, remember, that small, nearly invisible miracles on minuscule levels are happening all the damn time. As was the topic of my last entry, we're always on the lookout for the big shit in life. But you'll never know how you got there if you don't slow down to appreciate all the small building blocks.. the elements that may not be of obvious use now, but what will eventually lay the foundations for the bigger future.