Seed

I found a book at the library which captivated my attention. The book was titled "The Bizarre and Incredible World of Plants" by Stuppy, Kesseler and Harley. I love it when science meets art. The scanning electrom micrograph images which have been artistically enhanced with color by artist Rob Kesseler were a rare visual treat. One could never have imagined seeing these shapes and forms to be present here on earth. That's the beauty of seeing things at the microscopic level. It just fascinates me. I use to spend a whole lot of time on scanning electron microscopes years ago, studying non-living materials and not plants however, but still it always fascinated me how things look like seen under those powerful microscopes and how they would go on and change into other forms without us noticing them for most of the time. A scientist on TV have postulated that if there is going to be another catastrophe on earth, similar to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, it would be these tiniest of living things, the algae, bacteria, plants; who would survive. Mainly because they could tolerate a wider spectrum of environmental conditions than humans do. They could survive higher temperatures for one. And from the book, I was amazed to learn about the many sophisticated ways of reproduction and adaptation that plants have developed and evolved over thousands of years, for the sole purpose of ensuring the survival of their species.... Makes one think about our own evolution and quest for survival. 

Below is a drawing I made of a seed from the book, colored with watercolor.