Radiation Detector

May 12, 2013  •  2 Comments

Shenandoah R. VA Park 0074 On my Friday hike in the Shenandoah River Park I came across a flower that was unfamiliar to me. One of my fellow hikers named it Tradescantia and I subsequently learned that the common name is Spiderwort and a very interesting fact. This flower has stamen hairs that when subjected to radiation turn from blue to pink. If examined under a microscope and the individual cells counted that have changed color, the number is directly proportional to the radiation exposure. Olympus 12-50mm@43mm macro mode, f6, 1/1000s, ISO 800.


Comments

Patti Barksdale(non-registered)
I have always loved the vivid blue of Spiderwort. Amazing.
Ann Littlefield Coleman(non-registered)
Beautiful color. Who would have guessed this pretty plant is a predictor of something so awful. Nature has a lot to tell us.
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