[Exceptionally] Pretty pictures: transmitted light -- Part XL

Ugh. The Schefflera profile is not going well. I suspect the problem is that I'm trying too hard to work in all the information I found, much of which doesn't actually interest me. Sometimes I have to start the profiles several times before I get any kind of flow going; this may be one of those times. *sigh* (UPDATE: Done!)

As for this post, we have more dead leaves than usual. Some months ago, I went through all the transmitted light photos and rearranged them, rather than wind up with four oak pictures in the same set, so this batch includes some autumn leaves from last fall.

(The previous transmitted light posts can be found here.)

Plectranthus verticillatus.

Platanus occidentalis (sycamore), autumn. This one is much better full size.

Aglaonema 'Diamond Bay.'

Kalanchoe marmorata.

Magnolia sp., autumn. Not sure what it is, but something about this one really appeals to me. Something about the way the veins are curvy. Might be my favorite from the set, though.

Helleborus 'Painted Strain.' Striking, but almost a little too much.

Eucharis x grandiflora, dead leaf.

Quercus sp., autumn.

Dieffenbachia 'Camouflage.'

Alocasia amazonica 'Polly.' I don't think any of the pictures of 'Polly' turned out very well, but it's still striking.

Random plant event: Magnolia seeds or something?

Something I don't believe I'd ever seen before. Not 100% sure on what it is, even, but the plant is definitely a Magnolia, and these have to be either seeds or fruits. Freaky-looking.


This seems especially appropriate, as my whole world has been getting weird for the last week or two. I mean, my actual personal living-arrangement-type life is the same as it ever was, and I'm accustomed to some strangeness, but . . . I can't even explain.

30ish Caucasian women are turning into teenage Filipino girls, I'm being offered money to link to something that was either the Canadian yellow pages or a close facsimile thereof (turned it down: it made no sense), people are e-mailing me to demand cuttings of stuff (they will be disappointed, needless to say, but this hasn't happened before so it still counts as weird), other people's books are unwriting themselves (will be explained tomorrow), and there are a couple other things that might happen later, that I can't actually talk about yet. (Neither of them is a book deal, so just put that hope back in your pocket. I'll let you know if/when it's time to get excited.) I mean, it's not particularly bad weird stuff. Just people behaving in inexplicable ways, plus some unprecedented happenings.


September's not ordinarily a kooky time of year for me, so I can only conclude that this is October's influence creeping in early. Or maybe March. This would be just like March, to lull me into a false sense of security and then boom! show up in September, when I'm not expecting it.