More on Water

With so much rain of late, it was only natural to think of a few more ways to photograph that polar molecule.

Water is integral to all life on Earth, so no focus on nature would be complete without a few references to it and its amazing properties - properties that enable life to exist on this planet.

The fact that ice (solid state water) floats on the liquid state could have made the difference between the biodiversity we experience today and something different. If the solid state had sunk, it would not have a chance to melt and would have accumulated resulting much more ice locked up deep at the poles, lower ocean levels and possibly permanent ice age conditions.

So, here are a few shots of bursting balloons that were filled with water.

The way in which the water reacts immediately after the balloon is "removed" (burst) illustrates one of the most amazing properties of water - its polar or "sticky" properties.

Want to know more about water? Go wiki HERE
Want to see previous posts of mine on the amazing water molecule? Go HERE

So here are the shots. Enjoy :)

At the point of bursting.

Droplets

In previous posts I have shown the surface tension properties of water, in regard to the shape of droplets and the crown like designs as the liquid hits a solid surface.
I couldn't resist adding this latest shot of droplets hanging on a spider web.
Water gives not only its amazing surface tension properties to create this shot, it also has the ability to act as a lens...giving the reflections of the plant behind it...producing a myriad of reflected forms.

A few more Arachnids...and a Slug

Just when I thought I had done enough arachnid shots, I came apon this water spider ( found by my daughter Aeron) at Carrington Falls the other day.
It is amazing how they can suspend themselves on the surface tension of the water.
I was tempted to give this guy a little push to see if it would glide on the surface...and so I tried.
A word of warning...these spiders have a temper, and i was severly scolded in the form of many bites in quick sucession....luckily on my nail. ( you dont think that I would poke it with a stick...do you? )

Denis wilsons post on the day can be found Here. and has
further descriptions on the behaviour of this spider with further links.




While I am on the subject of spiders, I might as well put in this little Leaf Spider.
I loved, as a kid, placing flies in the web and watching the reactions of the spider as it tested the vibrations, spring into action to capture and subdue its prey, then haul the lot back to the safety of its home.





....And finally, something that is not a spider.
This slug, found by my kids in the backyard, was in the process of consuming a worm.
It managed this rather quickly, to my suprise, and took around a minute to consume a good 75mm of its dinner. The baby slug tagged along for the meal. A most unusual sight.

Surface Tension

With the return of the rains I was pondering photo opportunities, when my gutter began to overflow again in the torrential downpour.




With the aim of capturing a better raindrop ( see June 21st post), I managed to get the following shots.

Water, being a "sticky" molecule, has properties allowing the surface tension that permits it to behave in the ways illustrated here.


These properties are vital to life on this planet, one in particular being the fact that water in its frozen state floats on its liquid state. If it didn't, ice would sink to depths not allowing a melt. This would cause a build up effect that would see our world a much different place.
















Looking like marbles, this shot is in fact a stream of water droplets.
All photos were captured, with flash, at 1/1000 sec, f8, ISO50.