Category: Friday puzzle

Friday puzzle uprooted!

Wow, we had some very creative answers on this one – and all of them made sense!  Peter, however, was spot on with his identification of roots (of a Thanksgiving cactus) growing in water (in an antique graduated cylinder).  I made it tricker by turning the photo upside down on Friday.  Here it is right side up:

What I love about this photo is that the various parts of actively growing roots are clear (more or less):  starting from the bottom you can begin to see the root tip and the hairless zone of elongation, followed by the zone of maturation with fuzzy root hairs, followed at the top by the area where lateral roots develop.</d

Last puzzle of 2010

I had a few weeks’ hiatus while scrambling around for the holidays – but have one last teaser for you before the close of 2010.  This photo is reminiscent of what Christmas trees will start looking like in the next few weeks. Can you figure out what it is? 

Ignore the parallel horizontal lines – they will be explained on Monday.  And yes, the photo quality’s not great, but the reason for that will be clear on Monday as well.

Have a very happy new year, and be sure to keep reading us in 2011!

Green mystery revealed

Another easy one, or else you guys are just too smart!  It is indeed a mistletoe.  Gold stars to KB, John, Kandi, and Deb, and an extra point to Jane for identifying the genus (Phoradendron).  I believe it’s Phoradendron bolleanum, an introduced species which parasitizes Cupressus arizonica (Arizona cypress).

In any case, I chose this puzzle plant in keeping with the holiday season!  Thanks for playing!

Friday puzzle unrolled

I knew this one was pretty easy, but I have my reasons (below).  Gold stars to KB, Jim, John, and Dave for correctly identifying rolls of sod (and they do seem thin, Peter):

Yes, sod.  I dislike instant lawns; they never look good for very long, at least in my part of the country.  And getting rid of sod (as we have in our landscape) is a nightmare with that *%&$^ plastic mesh in which the grass is embedded.  It breaks up into little bits that are constantly coming to the surface.

I don’t have an axe to grind about lawns; my philosophy is that if you want a lawn and can afford to maintain it well, more power to you.  But what’s wrong with the old fashioned way of seeding a lawn?  Sure, it takes a few more weeks to "grow your own", but seeded lawns look more natural and last much longer.

Trunk teaser untwisted

Good guesses over the weekend on what caused the twisty looking trunk structure in Friday’s puzzle.  Here’s a larger photo:

Nancy and Paul both got this one – it’s two trunks fused together.  I have no idea whether the production nursery grew two saplings together on purpose or accidentally, but here’s one reason that this tree might be a problem down the road:

This area is ripe for disease, as water will collect in the crotch.  In fact, the area is already discolored and could be diseased already.

One thing I hadn’t noticed when I took the top picture were the price tags on the nearby pots.  They say it all – W(hy) O(h) W(hy).

Needless to say, I hope, is that you wouldn’t want to buy this plant.