Plants As Metaphors--Don't Give Up

Ok . . . we are in an extreme drought and oppressive record heat. Until today, I have not had a substantial rain at my home that would really water my thirsty plants. Amazingly, there are several plants in one of my flower beds that are flourishing-- Sunflowers, Amaranthus, and Queen Anne's Lace. I don't know how. I gave up watering them 2 months ago, yet they are growing when everything else is fried. My grass is dead--  crispy dead, but Queen Anne's Lace is growing throughout.


So enjoy the photos below of these strong, persistent, and determined plants which won't give up. They are a metaphor for us . . . to be strong and know we can weather any storm. (No pun intended--although we haven't had many storms to weather . . .)

Unopened Sunflower                                     ©Joni L. James

Amaranthus species                                       ©Joni L. James

This flower fills my flower bed and I did not plant it (that I know of). I believe it is an Amaranthus species (maybe Amaranthus cruentus?) but if someone can confirm--please comment at the end of the post.

Queen Anne's Lace with Bee                          ©Joni L. James

Sodalis Nature Park

Thanks to my friend, Jennifer, and her sweet little girl, Heidi, I discovered Sodalis Nature Park last week. I returned on Friday to do some photography. Sodalis is a new park which is home to the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). It consists of newly reforested woodlands, mature upper woodlands, riparian corridor, and a 5 acre pond. The park was created through a unique partnership with Hendricks County Parks, Indianapolis Airport Authority, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Near the pond are picnic tables, a floating fishing pier, an observation platform, and five trails. The trails range from 0.5 miles to 1.2 miles in length. Fishing is allowed but please note it is catch and release only. No swimming, wading, or boating is allowed. The park is open from dawn to dusk. Hendricks County residents are very fortunate to have another beautiful park set aside for the enjoyment of nature.

It was very peaceful the day I visited, although hot and humid even with cloud cover. We have set a new record with our heat and humidity this summer. As of today, we have had 21 consecutive days with temperatures 90 degrees or higher.

I am fascinated by the reproductive parts of flowers. They are miracles at work as are the metamorphoses of butterflies & moths and frogs & toads and much, much more in Nature. There is an amazing diversity and beauty in the stamen (male) and pistil (female) organs and their parts (anther, style, stigma, etc.).

I believe the flower images here are Swamp Mallow Rose in the Hibiscus family. (If I incorrectly ID any species in this blog at any time, please contact me with the correct name. I welcome confirmations of my identifications).
Notice the pollen and beauty in the reproductive parts.

                                           ©Joni L. James

                                           ©Joni L. James

                                           ©Joni L. James

                                          ©Joni L. James

                                           ©Joni L. James

                                           ©Joni L. James

A view of the pond--

                                          ©Joni L. James

                                           ©Joni L. James

I watched an adult dragonfly (teneral) emerge from its last larval skeleton (exuviae) along the edge of the pond. Can anyone help in identifying this dragonfly? I believe it is in the Skimmer family-- perhaps a Halloween Pennant?

Deptford Pink: Dianthus armeria

                                          © Joni L. James

MY BEAUTIFUL DIANTHUS

A speck of beauty so easily overlooked!

Standing tall between the space of two large stones
Reaching upward with slender round stem
Opposite leaves, linear in shape, graced with pubescence
A cluster of five pink petals dotted with white encircling
Ten stamens and two styles
You demand my attention.

Merely a speck against the stone
Vivid pink captures my attention.
In grasses nearby dwells a cluster of relation
Yet you dare to risk among the stone . . . alone.

Deptford Pink a traveler from England.
Dianthus armeria -- a speck of beauty.

Invasive Plants: Are They Really a Problem?

In the last several years a new battle has been waged on plants that are considered invasive to our landscapes. The premise is that identified non-native plants when planted or not controlled, can over-populate and over-run our native plants.

                                                        Copyright Joni L. James

                                                        Great Spangled Fritillary on Coneflower                                                                                     

                                                         
I finished reading an article titled "A Friend to Aliens" in Scientific American (February 2011) by Brendan Borrell. Borrell interviewed plant ecologist Mark A. Davis (Invasion Biology 2009). Davis at one time felt the same about invasive plants until he began re-thinking his stance. He now believes we should be concerned about invasive species only when they can impact economics or be a direct threat to health. According to Davis we must understand that species do not stay put and accept this.

He argues that a species is a problem only when humans deem it so-- they aren't good or bad. We have to ask if a species is causing harm or is it just representative of change.

He does state that when species cause extinctions, especially in insular environments, action must be taken. He goes on to say that they have conducted field experiments with garlic mustard (a prolific "invasive") and found no relationship between the abundance of garlic mustard and the population of other plant species in their field plots.

This was an interesting article and it caused me to think on the topic of invasive plants in a new light. I don't profess to be a plant expert or to truly take a stance on the subject. I merely present this information as an opportunity for readers to think about this issue and perhaps learn more.

No doubt non-native species can have a devastating impact on our local landscapes and the organisms that live there. I believe in planting and nurturing native plants as often as possible. But perhaps somewhere in the middle is the starting point. Perhaps each unique situation must be evaluated as to how an ecosystem/area might be impacted and how species--native and non-native may interact.