#utricularia art

[gaynaturalistghost]

I’ve been thinking about the Ophelia / beautiful dead girl thing that is played over and over in a confusing way. I can’t really put it into words, something about there being layers to motifs and plants that are rarely pushed deeper than the immediate concept. I thought I’d try something different. These are all “carnivorous” plants, not truly ‘meat-eating’ more like catching vitamin supplements or making their own nutrient rich soil.

The first plant I wanted for this was Utricularia, the ‘bladderworts’ (bladder= sac, wort =plant), they’re under the surface. They have trigger hair bladders of varying size, some are just to catch zooplankton. They’re beautiful under the water but with just stems and flowers poking out above.

I picked the plants I chose carefully, but a lot of these notes I found after the fact. (and @crypto-botanist had perfect pictures and a very enviable username) like Drosera linearis, the sundew with red flowers. They reproduce asexually so energy sunk into flowers that don’t actually facilitate sexual reproduction is bananas! I used wiki to look through species lists and apparently Darwin said this: “…at the present moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world.”

Sarracenia purpurea, the pitcher plant I chose (pics from crypto-botanist, again), is the only species that grows in cold climates. A wide distribution range is a huge advantage when ~97% of your genera’s habitat is gone. The weird thing, though, is that their seeds usually get only 5cm away from their parent plants. How did they get spread all over? We don’t know! They also have a microbiome in their pitcher fluid that helps them break down their … acquired nitrogen source. As I’m primarily a microbiologist, this makes me very happy.

The last is a butterwort, Pinguicula lusitanica, isn’t the most memorable carnivorous plant. It can be weedy for cultivators though it isn’t very genetically diverse to adapt to environmental change, still vulnerable despite temporary proliferation. Mostly this one represents one of the things I love about botanists, the love for the inconspicuous and seemly unremarkable. This popped up in the notes I found from pinguicula.org under the pictures took in the field with little personal notes and exclamation points. The ability to be obsessed with something no one else thinks about and just being excited that it exists. Scientists are very sentimental.

So I guess the flowers I chose here are analogous to Ophelia’s. Showy plants with more to offer if you manage to look (re plant blindness) and the way I’ve grown attached to this concept of poison ivy but actually as sentimental, passionate, angry and conflicted as we can be. Something like that.

[billionneuronscurious]

Artwork: Utricularia species. Series: Flowers of Kaas.

[thebotanicalarcade]

n289_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr: J. Sturms Flora von Deutschland : Stuttgart :K. G. Lutz,1900-1907. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/55492586

[idullic]

a lil pot of utricularia

[stefano-bonalume]

[mbari-blog]

Feeling the siphono-flow 〰️⁠ ⁠ 

Siphonophores (pronounced “sigh-fawn-oh-fours”) are colonial creatures made up of specialized segments that work together as one. We are excited to showcase their breathtaking beauty on Google Arts and Culture. Meet this fascinating group of animals and learn about the previously unknown species we've uncovered in 34 years of deep-sea exploration.

This intricate gelatinous animal is the rare physonect siphonophore, Lychnagalma utricularia. These unusual creatures are too fragile to survive traditional collection methods—they completely fall to pieces in nets. Scientists are just beginning to learn more about these dazzling deep-sea denizens using remotely operated vehicles that allow us to carefully observe them in their natural habitat. Read more about these remarkable residents of the deep.

[emmatheward]

- Art trade with @undergaster. This is their character Suneku. His carnivorous plant species is a utricularia vulgaris. A plant I’ve never even heard of! 

[billionneuronscurious]

Artwork: Utricularia striatula Flowers.

Acrylics on Canvas.

[billionneuronscurious]

Artwork: Utricularia species. Series: Flowers of Kaas.

[billionneuronscurious]

Artwork: Gram Blue butterfly on Utricularia.

[shashanknagesh]

Utricularia reticulata is a medium to large-sized, probably annual carnivorous plant that belongs to the genus Utricularia. It is native to India and Sri Lanka. U. reticulata grows as a terrestrial or subaquatic plant in marshy grasslands or wet soils over rocks at lower altitudes up to 750 m. . . . . . . #utricularia #reticulata #carnivorousplants #india #srilanka #terrestrial #subaquatic #marshy #grasslands #wetsoil #rocks #loweraltitude #plants #nature #flowers #plantsofinstagram #garden #plant #green #plantsmakepeoplehappy #houseplants #succulents #gardening #photography #flower #indoorplants #urbanjungle #naturephotography #cactus #love #art #plantlover #trees #beautiful #homedecor #plantas #houseplantclub #plantlife #succulent #naturelovers #plantlove #bhfyp (at Yellapur, Uttara Kannada) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7LlSWNlBkg/?igshid=wzsxmxyn9xp9