Hairy Bedstraw Barbs

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:11 pm

Leitz Ortholux microscope
4X Leitz projection eyepiece plus 1/3x relay lens

Image No.1
Stem barbs
129 images at 5 micron increments
Olympus 10x Plan Achromat objective
Dark Field Illumination

Image No.2
Hairy Bedstraw flower
52 images at .002 inch increments
Leitz 4x Plan Fluorite Achromat objective
Diffused Fiber Optic Illumination

Canon 50D
Zerene PMax and Photoshop 7 processing.

The excellent stinging nettle image by Charles prompted me to jump in with a month old image of a similar subject in our yard. Hairy bedstraw is a strange plant with barbs on the stems and leaves that act like Velcro against the skin and if it is brushed up against itself there is a hopelessly tangled mess to deal with. The plant I believe is in the Madder family known as Rubi Aceare, Galium pilosum.

I also include a bonus image of the tiny flowers the plant produces.

Walt

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:02 am

Walter, I have missed your spider shots in recent months. But you haven't lost the touch. That stem shot is beautiful work, and quite interesting as is the flower shot. I don't recall this plant from growing up in Rockford.

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Fri Jul 01, 2011 8:32 pm

Hi Mitch, thanks. We didn't plant this subject. Never know what seeds the birds will drop on my yard! Will be working on more spider images soon.
Walt