Leaf 0013A

Will Biomimicry Offer a Way Forward, Post-Sandy?

A second Hurricane Sandy related post. The article is a rather interesting look at how nature might inform the rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy. Some think taking clues from how plants and animals have adapted might lead to designs that would better withstand extreme weather events. Some of the design ideas are pretty radical. But it did cause me to think about nature and its intricacy. I have had a fascination with beech leaves for sometime. Beech leaves persist on the trees long after they have died curling into a cylinder before finally dropping from the tree. This particular leaf was taken from a tree at the side of the house and then placed on a old fashioned slide viewing light box to back light it. The veining and cellular structure emerged when I photographed with my 85mm macro lens, f32, 1/5s, ISO400. We have a long ways to go to mimic the natural world but we certainly should not stop examining it and the wonder it holds.