bark of platanus tree

inside 40X illuminator

While taking a stroll across my neighborhood, I found a broken piece of bark from a plane (platanus) tree and thought it was only necessary to check it out under the microscope.

inside 100X illuminator 

Now, plane trees are widely known for being able to survive in small concrete areas in urban areas. The reason for this is because of the bark falling off the tree, causing harmful organisms and parasites to follow with it. Now what surprised me the most when checking this bark out was how spongy the inner layer seemed. While other commonly seen barks generally seem to consist of hole-like structures in the inner area of the bark, the plane tree seemed to hold white marble-like figures instead.

outside 40X illuminator

When feeling the bark, I noticed how it was comparable to a sponge because of its softness on the inside. In fact, the wavy structure in the bark seems to be similar to that of cardboard's inner area. Perhaps rather than using sheer creativity, science may create new inventions by copying what nature already offers!

outside 100x illuminator