Leaf Ecology

 One of my house plants with huge leaves was moved outside to our courtyard a few years ago.  It thrived, and produced vigorous new leaves, living in a shady spot under some bamboos.  I've noticed that as stuff fell from the upper story of the garden, dead bamboo leaves, tree litter that blew off the roof, leaves from the plum tree, etc. the top surface accumulated a bit of a compost pile on the leaf.  A spider used this stuff to support a web, and other small bugs. 

This valley of life on the leaf surface would never have occurred indoors. We let the cottage garden plants intermingle.  Discovering this little community living on the large leaves of the Philodendron was such a nice surprise. 

There is a regular community on each of the large leaf tops now--subject to the occasional dumping if we have a big enough rain. Each assemblage is a bit different.  A typical pile will have leaves from the Black Acacia, Arundinaria and Phyllostachys nigra "Hennon", Otatea acuminata, maybe an oak leaf, and some plum detritus. Spider webs tie it together and trap smaller particles.

   Soon, a layer of composting forms in the cradle of the leaf.  This Philodendron's leaves have holes in them naturally, draining the pile.  I wonder if the host plant derives some nutrient benefits from this arrangement?

The long, needle like leaves are actually from the Otatea acuminata aztectorum bamboo.

 

 

 

  

This spider built his food gathering web around this Papyrus flowers,  with a long groups of  threads extending up  into the draping leaves of an Otatea acuminata aztectorum bamboo growing above the Papyrus

  Once he felt threatened on his main web, he retreats up to the bamboo leaves. Quite a remarkable feat to construct such a resilient and utilitarian structure, a home.   

See more about Philodendron plants here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron