This spring I visited a prairie and snapped this photo of the lovely spiderwort. They’re blooming again as the photoperiod matches that of late spring. Spiderworts can detect radiation. When exposed to energy that can break chemical bonds– ionizing radiation –the stamen hairs turn from blue to pink.

Spiderworts belong to the Tradescantia family and are native to the U.S. Although they don’t look at all alike, they’re related to Wandering Jews, plants that contain the neurotransmitter dopamine. Here’s another photo. What do you think? Are those stamen hairs blue?