Glory

 

Street Art

 

Room For An Octopus To Grow

 

 PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY  9/17/25

(C) 2025  Luke T. Bush

It was time to move on.

The Plattsburgh Public Library basement is home to its children's room.  Plenty of space for all sorts of displays except one -- a large potted tree that had become too tall.  So now it resides on the first floor of the library with higher ceilings.  The attached sign explains that it is an octopus tree that grows in the rainforests of Australia, New Guinea, and Java.

According to Googled sources the tree's stems resemble the arms of an octopus radiating out from its leaves, growing up to 3 feet long. Other names for this plant are the Australian Umbrella Tree and the Queensland Umbrella tree, also referring to its radiating stem structure.  Flowers and fruit clusters grow along each stem.

The tree can grow over 55 feet tall.  Maybe the first floor ceiling can be raised. 

Chrome View

 

Click on image to enlarge.

 

Golden Cradle

 

Glaring BEM

 

Sweating The Details

 

Susan's Black Eye

 

Stake Dinner

 

 

 

 © 2025 Luke T. Bush

Calling it an ambush bug becomes an obvious choice when you see it capturing its prey, a quick unexpected strike.  It uses camouflage to be undetectable, for example, a yellow ambush bug sitting on a yellow flower petal.  The predator holds the victim  -- in this case a bee -- with its claws and then drives its proboscis into its victim, first pumping paralyzing toxins.  Then the ambush bug liquefies the victim's interior, injecting digestive enzymes.  For its third act it uses its proboscis to suck out its prepared meal.

Cruel nature in a tiny world.

Ambush Bug Sitting On A Black-Eyed Susan