Of course humans were bundled up again today. Our low was 8.6F. However the other friends on earth have different ways to ward off the cold.
The cold desiccated the leafy part of a thalloid liverwort. However the sporophytes seemed to be unaffected. The leafy part will bounce back with no problem.
The Arkansas Yucca (Yucca arkansana) turned a bit yellow. Many plants will draw water down into their roots to protect again a freeze. Soon it will get green again.
The new growth of the Bedstraw (Galium circaezans) seems unaffected by the cold.
Some plants like the Cirsium are covered with hairs which can help with the cold or heat. As you travel west you will find many plants use hairs for protection from the elements.
A hackberry seed was passed its prime so it was just drying up.
The Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) seeds were still plump. Waiting for someone to eat them I would guess.
The capsules of mosses are unaffected with cold. In fact the winter is a great time to go search for them.
Leucodon julaceus moss just closes its leaves. However it doesn’t really worry about the cold as it will open it leaves when it is wet. Mosses do not have roots and thus do not perform the same function. Instead they have holdfasts called rhizoids which anchor them to a substrate.
So the next few days I will continue to bundle up unlike our non-human friends.
Interesting article about ectothermic vs endothermic and dinosaurs and birds. Dinosaur detectives!
It is so very cold – not sure I am as hardy as all those plants.
I did not know that yuccas did that. Thanks
Interesting article about ectothermic vs endothermic and dinosaurs and birds. Dinosaur detectives!
It is so very cold – not sure I am as hardy as all those plants.
I’m not that hardy😂
Fascinating article about Roman concrete! Its self-healing properties are a bit eerie. Single digital temps up your way – yikes!
The concrete self-healing is wild!! Very neat! Looks like a great day to see friends outside despite the cold. 🙂