Sunday, December 19, 2010

Reflections on a dead weed.

Just a weed ...
Dried flowers, Reifel Island.
... as if a plant could ever be "just" a weed. How many beetles and ants and plant bugs did this one provide nourishment for in its prime? How many buzzing bees and wasps hovered over it? How did it scent the breeze, or anchor the mud? Did sparrows sit on the top and pick off caterpillars for a snack?

And now, in its decreptitude, it still provides joy; the pleasure of structure, of tiny flower shapes (which are probably the base of long-departed seeds), the dry rustle of dead leaves on a silent afternoon, the warmth of browns on a grey-blue day.

The birds and the bugs know best; catch them saying, "just a weed"! Never.

5 comments:

  1. Where would we be without weeds - seriously.

    Oohh - just seen a nuthatch in the garden - Wow!

    Got to go

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  2. Vasha1:21 pm

    Here is a wonderful article about weeds that I found in Natural History magazine. (Seems like Peter Del Tredici's book would be a must-have for people in my part of the country.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the perspective! I now leave a patch of the yard alone and let the weeds compete with each other- it does attract wildlife.

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  4. I love this post...thank you.

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I'm having to moderate all comments because Blogger seems to have a problem notifying me. Sorry about that. I will review them several times daily, though, until this issue is fixed.

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