Feather or Focus
Is consistency
humanity's greatest trait
or greatest
weakness?
Perhaps it becomes
a useful crutch for coping.
We do what
we must.
To master your life
you must have it or chaos
closes around you.
No consistency
is precarious floating,
on unstable breeze.
To master your life
you must also recognize
hunters follow paths.
Enemies know you
so you must become unknown
but not disgusting.
Have a good fortress.
You grow in quiet places.
Hear His soft whispers.
Fight in the chaos
Embrace inconsistency,
the sign you need growth.
Showing posts with label haiku. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haiku. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Monday, April 13, 2015
The Bromeliads are Upon Us! The Sequel.
Spanish Moss drapes and envelopes the trees. It's distinctly southern. However, many times, even in the same tree, there exists another bromeliad, Tillandsia recurvata known as Ball Moss, hiding among the limbs.
In the picture above, we see that Ball Moss is a compact plant, similar and color to Spanish Moss, and like Spanish Moss, is stringy. The plant itself, however, grows differently. Instead of resembling a chain from a barrel of monkeys, T. recurvata grows in a more "normal" plant like fashion. There is a central place where the plant attaches to a limb. You can also see how the seed stalk is long and curves out. This is a key indicator for know when you have Ball Moss and Spanish Moss growing together, if you are trying to judge from a distance. I gave a picture of a seedpod dispersing seeds from a T. usneoides in the last post. Notice in that picture, that the seedpod is very close to the plant.
Another note about the seedpod of this plant: The seeds often germinate right on the end of the stalk, so the plant looks like it's "walking" ie, sending out a tendril and cloning itself. Nope, it's sprouting from the seeds, straight out of the nest!
To the right, we see Spanish and Ball Moss growing together, and this is how I first discovered it, even though at the time, I didn't know what I was seeing. I made the error of thinking that the Ball Moss was a baby Spanish moss plant. Now I know better.
There's a chance Ball Moss is good for something other than looking pretty too! A study in 2012 revealed that it could help in the fight against prostate cancer. Green Deane reports that it and Spanish Moss can be nibbled.
On the left, I'm holding a Live oak leaf behind a seedpod so I could take a better picture of the wispy, feather like seeds.
And there's a seed head, fully visible. Now that I know what they look like, Tillandsia seeds are easy to find, I've found them on trees, my windshield, in bushes, and all sorts of places. One long range photography project I have is to track a seed as it grows.
The seed, over time
Becomes a whole new plant
Making seeds itself
Part three involves a new-to-me Tillandsia that has very showy flowers.
The plant is compact
Sending out tendrils and seeds
Sprouting from flower
 |
| Tillandsia recurvata |
In the picture above, we see that Ball Moss is a compact plant, similar and color to Spanish Moss, and like Spanish Moss, is stringy. The plant itself, however, grows differently. Instead of resembling a chain from a barrel of monkeys, T. recurvata grows in a more "normal" plant like fashion. There is a central place where the plant attaches to a limb. You can also see how the seed stalk is long and curves out. This is a key indicator for know when you have Ball Moss and Spanish Moss growing together, if you are trying to judge from a distance. I gave a picture of a seedpod dispersing seeds from a T. usneoides in the last post. Notice in that picture, that the seedpod is very close to the plant.
Another note about the seedpod of this plant: The seeds often germinate right on the end of the stalk, so the plant looks like it's "walking" ie, sending out a tendril and cloning itself. Nope, it's sprouting from the seeds, straight out of the nest!
 |
| T. usneoides and T. recurvata growing together |
Top, bottom, left, right
Surrounded, the plant juts out
Sending seeds on stalk
There's a chance Ball Moss is good for something other than looking pretty too! A study in 2012 revealed that it could help in the fight against prostate cancer. Green Deane reports that it and Spanish Moss can be nibbled.
And there's a seed head, fully visible. Now that I know what they look like, Tillandsia seeds are easy to find, I've found them on trees, my windshield, in bushes, and all sorts of places. One long range photography project I have is to track a seed as it grows.
The seed, over time
Becomes a whole new plant
Making seeds itself
Part three involves a new-to-me Tillandsia that has very showy flowers.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Trio of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter
Western Sky at Sunset
I can see three Wanderers
Together, they dance
I can see three Wanderers
Together, they dance
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