Compass Plant, Silphium laciniatum, Jim Richardson

While working at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, agroecologist and soil scientist Jerry D. Glover perfected a method of gathering and preserving the exceptionally long roots of perennial prairie grasses. Glover buried 12-inch-wide tubes in the ground into which he inserted 10-inch-wide tubes filled with a special growing medium. Grasses grown in these tubes can later be removed and separated from the growing medium, producing specimens with roots up to 10 feet long.

Glover brought a sample specimen to National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson. To photograph the specimen, they placed it on a long sheet of Plexiglas and took a series of photographs, roughly 12” by 18” each, while sliding the specimen under the camera. The resulting detailed photographs were then digitally stitched together.