Eisboch wrote:
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:58:52 -0500, wrote:
On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:35:00 +0000, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
This tree has been annoying me for a year.
I'm normally a tree loving kind of guy, but losing that tree is quite an
improvement.
Yeah - I was surprised at how much more open it looks now.
Then again, I didn't expect half again growth in one year. Although I
was researching this type of pine and I guess it does that - one
minute it's six foot tall and well shaped and the next it's tree gone
wild.
Next up - a 60 foot chestnut.
Maybe next year. :)
The house we moved from 7 years ago (now my daughter's house) is next to
some old cranberry bogs that had not been used for years. About 10 years
ago I was walking on the bog and plucked about 6 little pine tree saplings
that were only as high as my knees. The "trunks" were about half the
diameter of my little finger. Just for kicks, I dug shallow holes on the
side of the property line, planted them and forgot about them.
They are all about 50 feet tall now.
Eisboch
Had you gone to the right high school, you would have realized they are
not pines. They are triffids.
A triffid can be divided into three components: base, trunk, and head.
which contains a venomous sting.
The base of a triffid is a large muscle-like root mass comprising many
thick tentacles. When dormant/docile, these tentacles are rooted into
the ground and are used to draw nutrients, as with a normal plant. When
active, triffids use these tentacles to propel themselves along at a
moderate walking pace. They are capable of moving faster over open
ground. Triffids' roots/tentacles are sufficiently articulate to allow
them to climb stairs, and strong enough to allow them to push through
fencing. They are not, however, prehensile enough to allow them to use
tools.
The trunk of a triffid is several inches thick and resembles a sprouting
leek. It is thickest close to the head and the base, and tapers off in
the middle. A triffid's neck can range from a few feet in height to
around two metres. It has leaf-like foliage where it meets the base of
the triffid.
The upper part of a triffid can be referred to as the head, although it
does not contain the usual sensory organs associated with an animal's
head. It consists of a brightly colored, hollow, flower like aperture
that resembles the top of a Heliamphora or Darlingtonia californica. The
head houses a triffid's sting. The flower also contains a mucilage type
liquid which is seen ensnaring insects, although other purposes are unknown.
A triffid's sting is a flat paddle-like appendage on a flexible stalk
that protrudes from the head of a triffid like a stamen or tongue. When
attacking, a triffid will lash out at its target using its sting,
primarily aiming for its prey's face or head, and with considerable
speed and force. The sting leaves behind a distinctive rectangular welt
with linear cuts running along it. Often traces of dark green triffid
venom are visible in the wound.
Triffid venom is fast-acting and can fell a victim almost instantly. In
the 1962 version, poison was ejected in a gas-like spray from the head
of the triffid.
In the wild, triffids move slowly and apparently at random. They emit a
slow, hollow low-pitched clicking sound -- in the TV series this is
shown to be achieved by beating their bole-like lower section with
special 'sticks'; protuberances seemingly there for this purpose. Their
'calls' can carry for a considerable distance. Triffids remain docile
until they sense the presence of potential prey. At this point, a
triffid's call will become faster and louder and it will home in on its
prey through the path of least resistance until it becomes close enough
to attack using its sting. Wild triffids may also wait for prey and
ambush them.
Typically, triffids will push against any barrier between them and their
prey. A lone triffid will have little impact on most barriers, but a
large herd can bring down even a strong fence. Once its prey has been
stung and killed, a triffid will approach and wait to one side with its
roots in the earth until the body begins to decay. When the flesh has
partially decayed, the sting will pull flesh from the body and lift it
to the head in order to feed. It is necessary to wait for decay, as the
flesh on a freshly killed body is too tough for the sting to pull apart.
A triffid hearing the rapid call of another triffid will become more
active, and will follow the sound. This can result in a lone triffid, or
a small group, quickly becoming a large threatening herd.
Their day is coming.