The hidden wonders of linden trees
Imagine holding in your hand one of the many wonders of nature
Aziz Inan
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Opinions
Two months ago, I was waiting at a bus stop in Beaverton when I was suddenly captivated by a twirling wing-shaped object smoothly descending down to the ground. "What is that?" I asked myself.
At first, I thought what landed there was some kind of flying bug.
However, as I observed it more closely I realized that it was motionless and looked like a yellowish-colored leaf. It was bent in the middle, had a stem extending straight out from the bent point, and four tiny small seeds at its other end.
The seeds belonged to the tree right next to the bus stop and apparently the leaf served as a parachute for them to spread. The whole thing seemed very delicate and fragile, but its landing on the ground was apparently successful because its physical structure seemed to be intact.
My curiosity was so much piqued by the amazing rotational air show that I had just witnessed that I decided to pick the leaf-seed unit up from the ground and further examine it. As I was holding it in my hand, I realized I had stumbled on one of the many wonders of nature: it was a naturally constructed helicopter-type flying machine, engineered by the tree standing right next to me.
What was this tree? How did it engineer such a fine flying machine? Before my bus arrived, I cautiously put the leaf in my coffee mug inside my lunch bag so it didn't get bumped or damaged. The seeds traveled with me on the bus to the University of Portland where I carefully took them out of the mug and saved them in my office drawer.
This started my journey into the world of traveling seeds, especially the ones that perform a spiraling flight.
Since that day, in my spare time I have been reading and researching plant seeds, specifically how and why some seeds travel.
It is a fascinating subject - and understanding its full spectrum requires background in basic sciences such as biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, you name it.
For example, I found a book titled "The Fly-Aways and Other Seed Travelers" by Francis Fultz written for younger readers published one hundred years ago in 1909.
At first, I thought what landed there was some kind of flying bug.
However, as I observed it more closely I realized that it was motionless and looked like a yellowish-colored leaf. It was bent in the middle, had a stem extending straight out from the bent point, and four tiny small seeds at its other end.
The seeds belonged to the tree right next to the bus stop and apparently the leaf served as a parachute for them to spread. The whole thing seemed very delicate and fragile, but its landing on the ground was apparently successful because its physical structure seemed to be intact.
My curiosity was so much piqued by the amazing rotational air show that I had just witnessed that I decided to pick the leaf-seed unit up from the ground and further examine it. As I was holding it in my hand, I realized I had stumbled on one of the many wonders of nature: it was a naturally constructed helicopter-type flying machine, engineered by the tree standing right next to me.
What was this tree? How did it engineer such a fine flying machine? Before my bus arrived, I cautiously put the leaf in my coffee mug inside my lunch bag so it didn't get bumped or damaged. The seeds traveled with me on the bus to the University of Portland where I carefully took them out of the mug and saved them in my office drawer.
This started my journey into the world of traveling seeds, especially the ones that perform a spiraling flight.
Since that day, in my spare time I have been reading and researching plant seeds, specifically how and why some seeds travel.
It is a fascinating subject - and understanding its full spectrum requires background in basic sciences such as biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, you name it.
For example, I found a book titled "The Fly-Aways and Other Seed Travelers" by Francis Fultz written for younger readers published one hundred years ago in 1909.
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