Day 2: Hmmm...I might have been lost down the rabbit hole forever, but for a detour it took into certain controlled substances. I was reading up on xanthophyll, the pigment which provides the beautiful yellows revealed in autumn when it is no longer masked by chlorophyll ("xanthous" means "yellow"). I was intrigued to learn that some herbicides target xanthophyll because it protects plants against light toxicity. By destroying the pigment, these herbicides open the plant to light-burning. As I read on, I found myself pondering the significance of xanthophyll and the seasonal reduction of chlorophyll when natural light levels diminish, and the next thing I knew, I struck a whole Google page devoted to suggested reading for commercial growers of a product I'd prefer to see made illegal. You know what they say about not being able to "unsee" something. I may never be able to look at my vining hydrangea in quite the same way again.
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