Our friend Lisa from Tasmania needs our help. Here’s the email she sent me:
Got a tricky one for you – do you have any idea what this is?
I spotted it under the leaf of one of the small cucumber seedlings that I am growing
Its amazingly beautiful – but I don’t know what made it.
My facebook friends have admired it but no-one has seen this before.
I am going with the idea that this seedling is a little rebel and that’s its tattoo!
Potatoes are popping up, the corn is in, most of the garden weeded – just having a lovely time in the spring sun!
Hope your week goes well
Cheers
Lisa
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Tammy says
Whoa! That is so cool looking.
A smooshed bug? A smooshed/partially dried flower/leaf?
Crystal says
Looks like some kind of fungus to me.
Patty P says
I was thinking it looked like a dried up bud or flower…maybe just dried up there and left that beautiful mark. 😉
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s what I was thinking.
Lisa Millar says
This cucumber was grown in my hothouse and is still very small – the chances of a flower drying onto the underside of the leaf is probably remote, even tho it really looks like it could be.
I haven’t been able to google up a fungus that grows in such a pattern – but I am wondering about a teeny (creative) bug! (well – lots of spiders are artists so I thought it was possible!)
Enjoying your suggestions!
Thanx for posting this up Mavis!!
Brianna says
Possibly a beautiful spider or moth cocoon? Cocoons aren’t always just balls of fluff, some build immaculate ones with beautiful architecture.
Ani says
It’s an alien!!
But just to be sure, I’d contact a Agricultural dept. at a university. Someone in plant sciences should be able to help identify it. Then let us all know.
Lisa Millar says
Made me laugh!
But a very sound suggestion Ani!
I will get onto that and if I get some success I will be sure to let you know!
Lauren says
Send it to Costa!
Lisa Millar says
lol – I should shouldn’t I!!! 😀
JamieH says
It is beautiful!
I wonder if it is some kind of burn?
lurker says
An airborne seed? Check out “parachute seeds” in Google Images and imagine one against the background of a leaf.
Samantha says
From a mushroom nerd and master gardener…my guess is that is the remains of a Coprinus species of mushroom. Small, extremely common on strawbales or in garden beds with some amount of woody matter to break down, and with telltale stripes, they liquify to spread their spores when they are mature. That print – the upside-down spore print of a garden mushroom whose cap was pressing up under the leaf!
Lisa Millar says
Thank-you Samantha!!
Its been a while and I can’t remember seeing any fungi – but its the right environment and they can come and go pretty quickly
Seems like a logical explanation to my pretty leaf print!!
If I am ever lucky enough to see another one I will look for some fungi!