What is it Wednesday archive: December 12, 2018

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

the day after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on December 12, 2018. 

And the answer is....

This close-up is of rhododendron leaves, curled tight in the cold. 

When we think of “evergreens” in Pennsylvania, we generally think of evergreen trees with various types of thin pointy needles instead of leaves. But the rhododendron is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub. It stays green all winter, and uses “tricks” to survive the cold weather, like a waxy coating on the leaves, sugars and proteins in the fluids in the cells, and stoma (pores in the leaf) that are closed all winter long. 

Rhododendron leaves also curl up in cold weather, beginning to curl at around 20 degrees Fahrenheit and curling tighter as the temperatures drop colder. Scientists don’t quite know what causes the leaves to curl, but it is likely some variation in the response to cold in different parts of the plant tissue or cells.  The leaf curling has a benefit to people too – it acts as a quick visual thermometer! Many people who regularly observe rhododendrons in winter can tell how cold it is just by the shape of the leaves.

To find out how LEEP can help you observe and learn about the details of nature, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!