Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Milkweed Fluff

Today I decided to post these photos of my favorite milkweed plant. I found this milkweed on a hiking trail in Heritage Park last summer, when I was looking for some good nature scenes to photograph. I've been monitoring this one ever since.

These particular photos are of the pods from this time of year. These milkweed pods have now broken open, and the seeds and the attached filaments are pouring out. You can't really see much more than that in the pictures, because there isn't really that much to show.

The plants are all shriveled up and dead looking, because of the time of year it is. The parts that look interesting are the seeds and filaments. These filaments look so fluffy and white. They're one of the main reasons I have always liked milkweed plants.

The first time I ever saw a milkweed plant, I was completely fascinated. Well, it was mainly the pods that fascinated me. Everything about them. A milkweed pod is one of the strangest looking things you'd ever see. It looks almost alien, and I'm not the only one who ever thought so.

There was at least one book and several versions of a movie, that were probably inspired by these strange looking pods. I wrote a little bit about them quite a while back, and I have the links below if you want to know more about these great pod stories.

Oh, as you can see by the photos, the seeds and filaments are the other part of the pods that are interesting. These filaments, when caught by the wind, drift in the air to find new destinations to plant their seeds, and grow a whole new milkweed plant. I used to open pods like these and look at this stuff whenever I got the chance.

They really are interesting. I don't show everything here, because I've shown them at different times in the past. If you want to see more, I show them in the links below. There's also some strange little stories to go along with the posts, as usual. I hope you liked this new look at what a milkweed pod looks like in December.


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Monday, December 15, 2008

The Flow Of The River

Today I decided to show you some close up photos of a place in the river at Heritage Park. This is an area where I had to go pretty far off of the hiking trails to get to. I thought it was an interesting section of the river.

It looks like maybe some natural debris and a few fallen trees created this little natural dam in the river. I'm not sure what it would be called other than that, I just thought it was kind of cool. It's little things like this that are unique parts of nature.

You'll never really see this in the exact same way anywhere else, and that's what makes it important to me. It's the thrill of seeing something that almost nobody else has been this close to. This is the thrill of discovery that most people don't think they have time for.

After I see something like this, it gives me a feeling of peace and relaxation. This quiet sense of discovery helps me forget the burdens of the world for just a little while. Most people don't really understand this kind of thing, but I'm sure all of you reading this know what I'm talking about.

It's good to remember the concerns of our everyday lives, but sometimes we just need to get away so we can take a short break. I can go to places like this and take a deep breath, so that I'm ready to go back out and face the world with a renewed energy. It gives me something extra so that it's just a little easier to deal with things.

Just standing there and watching the rushing water in this quiet place, gives me time to sort out my thoughts. Then I can think through any problems I might have, and conquer them when the time comes. I wish everyone could do something like this.

I really look forward to the times I can go out and see things like this small river. I like seeing the animals when I go out here, because it's always an exciting event. But something like this river is the foundation for why I go hiking.

I've said before that the sound of running water is such a peaceful natural sound. Most of us know that water is at the heart of our existence. It is essential for our lives. Maybe this sound of running water gives us a feeling of peace on an instinctive level. When we hear it, we know we are alive and safe.

I hope these photos of this small section of river can give at least some of you a little of the peaceful feeling that it gave me when I was standing there watching it flow by. My own thoughts are becoming calmer just remembering and thinking about it. I'll leave you today with the wish of peace and well being for you all.


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