A Focus on Him photo and writing by Lillian Cucuzza HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
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acro photography magnifies the finest details of subjects we take for granted. Take, for example, this photo of Creeping Charlie, a pesky common weed we find in our lawns. The flowers are only one-third of an inch long and are beautiful when viewed close up. However, when we are standing above them, all we see is a weed that needs to be pulled before it spreads throughout the entire lawn and chokes the life out of the grass. This macro photo reveals not only the beauty of this flower but also the tiny hairs on the flowers, leaves, and stem. I always thought the fine hairs just captured the dew and moisture for growth. Upon further research, I learned even more about God’s intelligent and amazing design to protect plants. Those tiny hairs are called trichomes. Not only do they absorb moisture, they are an amazing protective layer that helps insulate the plant from the sun, frost, wind, and heat. They also act as a tiny forest, providing shade to reduce water loss from evaporation. No wonder that weed is so hard to destroy.
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In addition, trichomes help protect plants and flowers from their mortal enemies, insect herbivores. One form of trichomes, called nonglandular, are sharp and pointed, fortified with silica and calcium carbonate, making them hard to chew. They are so hard that they dull the teeth of caterpillars that try to eat them. The sharp points eventually kill the caterpillars by causing their guts to bleed. Another form, called glandular trichomes, looks like dew drops on the hairs. They are actually swollen trichome heads that act like a water tank and contain a toxic or sticky compound that either traps herbivores or kills the insect when ingested. Whoa! That is a serious protective layer! We need a layer like that to protect our hearts, minds, and souls from sin and the evil that tries to tempt us daily. Sin is just like that weed that quickly spreads and tries to choke the life out of us. Fortunately, we have multiple protective layers readily available to us. Accepting God’s free gift of salvation through faith is the most important layer.
