God, The Father Of Art

Genesis 2:9a And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,

Beauty didn’t just happen… it came by design. The God who designed the eye designed beauty for the eye to behold. He designed shape and painted color into the systems of creation. In the last few creation posts we have been exploring Mangroves. Special trees God created to grow in tidal areas. These trees provide an environment for other complex life forms. Two of the most beautiful are the Scarlet Ibis (Pictured here), and the Flamingo.

Early owners of captive scarlet Ibises were dismayed when their birds didn’t turn scarlet. Later it was found that the Scarlet Ibis’ feathers don’t naturally turn scarlet. Away from the Mangroves they were a drab brown.

The Mangrove’s dead leaves and limbs fall into the water and decay. This decaying material helps turn the tidal pools into a rich soup of nutrients, bio-chemicals, and microscopic life. Within this soup are large amounts of carotenoids (pigments that give carrots, oranges, salmon, shrimp, etc. color) which are ingested by crustaceans, insects, and small fish. These little animals are then eaten by the Ibis. Flamingos generally eat microscopic lifeforms loaded with carotenoids.

God created biological pathways inside these birds to separate and move specific carotenoids into their feathers (and skin in some cases). This is clearly God's artistry for us all to see. God is the Great Artist, and He is beautiful. All art should honor Him.

Fish That Breath Air, Walk, And Climb Trees

There are numerous creatures specially designed to live in mangroves: special crabs which act like vacuum cleaners, colorful insects, and fish, like the Mudskipper, which live in and out of water. (I described mangroves a few days ago here)

The Mudskipper is a very strange fish indeed. People usually notice the periscope-like eyes first. A Mudskipper can see above the surface of the water while most of its body is submerged. Each eye moves independently of the other, and this movement helps with breathing on land.

Mudskippers rotate their eyes inside the socket to keep their eyes moist. But this rotation also circulates the water contained in its gill chamber just behind the eye, and the circulation oxygenates the gills. Unlike most other fish, a Mudskipper can seal its gill chamber to retain water for oxygenating its gills while visiting on land. This is one way it breaths out of the water. Some mangrove crabs also oxygenate their gills by circulating trapped water. A Mudskipper will drown if left in water, and suffocate if left out of water too long. God made it just for tidal regions.

Mudskippers also breath air through their skin. In fact this is where they get most of their oxygen! Their skin is specially designed with mucus cells and ridges to trap oxygen and transfer it to blood vessels next to the skin. It also has special cells at the back of its mouth to absorb oxygen.

It is also designed with arm–like fins and a sucker that enable it to climb trees, and crawl on land. These are complex systems designed by an amazing Creator.

Trees That Snorkel

It's true! God gave some very important trees the equipment to snorkel. Mangrove trees, a family of tropical coastal trees, function as a filter for water flowing into the sea. This complex filtration system helps prevent soil erosion, and siltation, which can kill coral and fish. These very specialized trees help convert swampy coastal areas and beaches into dry land. They also provide a home for some of the most amazing and beautiful creatures on earth.

These wonderful trees were created to live in oxygen deprived, salt-waterlogged, tidal soil. So they flourish in places where other trees die. In order for these awe inspiring trees to do this work God created a complex system which includes:

Roots that send “snorkels” above the mud and water to get oxygen.

Special oxygen absorbing cells in the “snorkels” that resist water and salt.

Water resistant bark

Special cells to separate and secrete salt.

Special seeds to withstand the harsh conditions. (see my post Trees That Give Live Birth)

Special underground roots to make the most of water-logged but chemically rich soil.

Special roots for stabilizing the tree in unstable soil.

I still remember my first opportunity to explore a Mangrove. It was a number of years ago in Belize. There is nothing like it in the world. I shot these pictures in Queensland, Australia. The last one, below, is of Carol as we were hiking on a trail through the Queensland rain forest to reach the mangroves. God is amazing (and so is Carol, by the way)!

Trees That Give Live Birth

Trees that give live birth??? Yes… strange but true. There are over 100 species of trees and shrubs which grow in tropical and sub-tropical tidal areas (mangroves) and are viviparous (giving birth to living offspring). These are some of the most complex plants on earth, and they host amazing biological systems that are unique to plants growing in water with high salt content. Salt content that would kill other land based plants and seeds.

Mangrove seeds don’t leave the tree until after they’ve germinated. The seeds become plants while still connected to their “mother” tree. This means, like mammals, these trees give birth to live offspring. Some species keep the germinated seeds on their limbs for months before releasing them into the salt water. One species only releases her children at high tide. Another has a pod that explodes, sending the little plants into the air at just the right time to capitalize on favorable conditions.

These newly released plants are equipped with various survival systems. Some carry enough nutrients and oxygen to survive and grow underwater until their leaves finally reach fresh air above the water's surface. Some float until they find the ideal place to anchor and take root. These plants can remain alive at sea for up to 1 year. Some root only when the salt mix and water temperature are just right. If they root in the wrong place some species can re-float after 30 days and move to another location.

Which came first the tree or the seed? The fact is that the tree and seed are seamlessly linked systems which cannot survive without each other. The idea that these complex, critically linked systems just happened to develop simultaneously in a harsh deadly environment is the stuff of science fiction. I would rather believe the more plausible explanation: it was all designed and created… together… complete… God is amazing! I’ll post some more info on these amazing plants in the near future.