some type of adult girl

earthstory:

Vampire Trees

This is an image of the branch of the rare albino redwood tree. They completely lack the green pigment chlorophyll.

Albinism is a genetic mutation that prevents cells from producing pigment. It’s normally not a big deal. But albinism in plants means that they can’t utilise chlorophyll to photosynthesise. Instead, they suck the life from surrounding trees!

They remain attached to the roots of their healthy, normal, parent trees and survive by sucking energy from them.

Only about 25 of these trees are known to exist around the world, eight of which are at Henry Cowell State Park in California. This park has the largest known concentration of albino redwoods anywhere branding it the epicentre for a scientific mystery.

-Jean

Image courtesy of wikimedia commons

(via gryffon)