portegys@ihlpg.UUCP (Tom Portegys) (07/23/85)
Question: Do sunflowers, which are facing western sun in the late afternoon, found facing the wrong way in the morning when the sun rises in the east? Or, do they turn around during the night to anticipate the morning sun? Well, this roving reporter made his way out to his plot at the local community gardens at 3:00 am last saturday to discover the answer. And the answer is: they really were facing east at 3:00 am! A small measure of doubt is introduced here by the fact that there was a faint orange glow on the eastern horizon from the city of Chicago and its suburbs to the east. Just thought you might like to know. Tom Portegys, Bell Labs, Naperville, Ill. ihlpg!portegys
tc@amd.UUCP (Tom Crawford) (07/25/85)
I always figured that sunflowers had, like, a spring in them. Their 'natural' direction is to point to the rising sun and during the day they follow the sun, winding up the spring. Come the fall of night, the sun goes away and ZZZRRRRRRRRT! The spring unwinds and ready for the next day. Someday I will take one apart and show you the spring. Tom Crawford
nxn@ihuxm.UUCP (Dave Nixon) (07/30/85)
> I always figured that sunflowers had, like, a spring in them. Their > 'natural' direction is to point to the rising sun and during the day > they follow the sun, winding up the spring. Come the fall of night, > the sun goes away and ZZZRRRRRRRRT! The spring unwinds and ready for > the next day. Someday I will take one apart and show you the spring. > > Tom Crawford In one of David Attenborough's "Life on Earth" series, there was a segment about an arctic flower than follows the sun constantly (for several weeks during the summer!). I don't remember the exact mechanism, but it was effectively a bearing rather than twisting or spiral growth. Does anyone have a tape of the series? Dave Nixon AT&T, Naperville, IL ..!ihnp4!ihuxm!nxn