What is it Wednesday: March 31, 2021

 

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, 

 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

March 31, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

These are the rhizomes and roots of cattails. 

(The more visible and recognizable parts of cattails were a What is it Wednesday feature just a few months ago.) A rhizome is a an underground stem that grows horizontally, usually just below the surface of the soil, and puts out both roots downward and shoots upward and at its ends. A rhizome is also known as a rootstalk. The  rootstalks in this picture are visible where they normally would be underwater, because the Lower Lake where they grow is drained every winter. These rootstalks are just above the soil instead of just below it  because we were removing some of these cattails to clear the area near the canoe dock.

Cattail rootstalks are very starchy. Starting in late fall and into early spring the plant stores energy in the rootstalks to allow it develop new shoots and stalks in the spring. This starch can be removed from the fibers of the rootstalks and made into flour. This is just one of the many ways cattails can be used as food!

The rhizomes of cattails are also one of their features that allow them to spread so readily to fill suitable wet habitats. Once established in an area, cattails are very hard to fully remove. Not only do the rootstalks grow rapidly into new areas, broken off pieces of rootstalk and roots can create new plants on their own even after being removed from the rest of the plant. 

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!