File:Starfield - Flickr - Don Komarechka.jpg

Daisies, family Asteraceae, often have fluorescent pollen. Sunflowers are a part of that family and are no exception. Glowing yellow under an ultraviolet light, the pollen coats the flower petals with illuminated points of light like a field of stars. UV fluorescence photography is really easy to explore, you only need darkness and a UV flashlight!

UVIVF. Let’s break that down: Ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence. This happens when UV light strikes a subject and is able to excite the electrons in certain atoms. Those electrons rise to a higher orbit, but instantaneously decay back to their original location. This spends a small amount of energy, so the light that is re-emitted from the subject now has less energy. UV light then transforms into visible light, and you can use your ordinary camera and lenses, so special equipment or filters required. The UV flashlight / torch I most commonly recommend is the Convoy S2. It’s all you need to start exploring this wonderful unseen world.

Sunflowers hold a special place in my heart because they tend to fluoresce blue and yellow, while simultaneously being the national flower of Ukraine. Today marks 150 days since the Russian Federation decided to destroy the sovereignty of the largest nation in Europe. They have not succeeded. I am continuously amazed at the resolve of the Ukrainian people, and I am thrilled to continue to support them in any way we can. Most recently we have contributed funds to purchase a surveillance drone for citizen soldiers, and we have two solar generators on order for use near the front lines. The people of Ukraine are the strongest that I have ever seen in my lifetime, and I’m glad that the world is coming to their aid.

It's also a great example of leadership, good and bad. Corruption runs deep in many Eastern European countries (probably all countries?) and this war has allowed for the discovery and dismantling of significant Russian influence. While Russia regroups for their next move, Ukraine uses the most precise and damaging weapons to erase countless enemy ammunition depots. The war is in one of the most peaceful moments, where weapons of intense destructive and terrorizing force are being systemically ruined.

Putin’s methodology for forward progress is sinister. He is forcibly conscripting Ukrainian men in occupied regions to fight for Russia – holding their families for ransom in the process. “Referendums” loom in various regions where the population will vote to be annexed by Russia. The Russian forces interview the population and if you say you’d vote for Ukraine, you are deported by force. This isn’t just a fight for some big country in Eastern Europe you’ve never visited, it’s a fight against the tyrannical actions of one of the most powerful countries on the planet. Putin’s Kleptocracy allows for these deceitful strategies, but it is also what has left his military weak and untrained.

Through this series of images supporting Ukraine, I have encouraged many ways to help. We heard of a Ukrainian restaurant that just opened up here in Varna earlier this month, Stefania: www.facebook.com/stefania.rest/ - the food was marvelous and it’s staffed by Ukrainians. It reminded me of the food being served today at my own Ukrainian family reunion taking place in Canada this very day. It’s important to support those around you affected by this conflict.