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Handstand on Bamboo

Discussion

11 replies
Posted by David Hatfield on July 23, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Found this little guy doing what appeared to me to be a well executed handstand on top of a small species of bamboo that grows along the walkway at Two Rivers Park in Little Rock a few days back.

Nikon D300; Nikkor 200-400VR w/TCe-II 1.4 teleconverter; f8.0; 1/500; ISO 800; hand held.

Enjoy!

Dave Hatfield
Posted by Don Kurz on July 23, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Nice handstand alright! By the way, that is the fruiting cone of a scouring rush. It is an equisetum, a living fossil if you will, that grew much larger in the days of the dinosaurs. :wink:

It is called scouring rush because settlers would use the stems to scrape out their pots and pans. The stems have a high degree of silica in them. That's why you usually see them growing in sandy soil.

Best,
Don
Posted by David Hatfield on July 23, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Thanks, Don! That's what I love about this forum-you learn something everyday!

Have a good one!
Dave
Posted by Mike Hall on July 23, 2009 at 4:43 PM
I like it when they do the balancing act! Each one seems to have it's own charactor. I've been bating them in them in my back yard with an old rotting banana. It attracts fruit flies and that keeps the dragonflies in one area so that I can take pictures of them. Plus it's fun to watch them dart around and catch the insects. :wavey:
Posted by Karla Hall on July 23, 2009 at 8:12 PM
Nice shot! I really like the symmetry.Mike's been having way too much fun shooting these little guys. Not sure if I would scour my pots with this plant, but hey...interesting info Don! :smile:
Posted by Tom Kennon on July 23, 2009 at 11:37 PM
Dave, nice shot and like you said, it is always nice learn something new about things in the outdoors. Thanks for the info, Don!
Posted by Daniel Loomis on July 24, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Scouring Rush is also called horsetail, but Don is correct in that it is a living fossil from long, long ago. They grow in wet seeps and marshes.
Posted by Don Kurz on July 24, 2009 at 5:38 PM
Dan, actually horsetail is the common name for Equisetum arvense because the plant is short and bushy. Scouring rush is long and slender, its scientific name is Equisetum hyemale. That is what Dave has captured. Someone needs to brush up on their plants... :wink:

Don
Posted by David Hatfield on July 24, 2009 at 10:53 PM
You're right,Don! There are so many different Arkansas flora that maybe someone needs to write a book with some really great pictures in it to help us identify them more easily.... :jump:

Now if I'd only BUY one!

Dave H.
Posted by David Hatfield on July 24, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Karla, you really put up with that husband of yours putting rotten bananas in the back yard just so he can bring in dragonflies?!!

You all have been posting some neat shots lately! I've got to get out more often.

Bro. Dave
Posted by Karla Hall on July 25, 2009 at 12:24 AM
Bro. Dave...The man has lost his mind...Our kids think so anyway :wink:
This is what happens when a man has too much time on his hands!
What can I say? God love 'em....
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on July 26, 2009 at 8:47 AM
I'll give this hand stand a 9.6! It might have scored higher but he came too early in the rotation to score higher. :wink: Nice catch Dave ... two living fossils at once!