POSTED BY CALEB
- I was walking back from a music test at 8:30 in the morning a few days ago when I was forced to stop, rub my eyes, and wonder if I was dreaming. A large patch of purple irises was in full flower at the edge of a parking lot. The sun had not yet risen high enough to warm their petals and coax out that marvellous grapey-licorice scent, but when I returned later in the day, the air was filled with their lovely fragrance. Reblooming iris are well-known for failure to perform as promised, but these actually did what they were supposed to. A pleasant surprise – it felt like May in November.
While I usually fit in well with my friends here at school, there are moments when I realize that I have a little different perspective. One such was the moment when I realized that it might possibly be seen as just the tiniest bit odd to be crouched down in the center of the sidewalk photographing an acorn. But isn't it a marvelous object?
I'm not sure what species of oak is dropping these acorns, but they're amazing. That furry ruff has fairy garden potential...
2 Comments
November 14, 2009 at 4:48 pm
dear caleb,
The oak tree you are asking about is one of my favorites! I came upon them in Lawrence , Kansas. Just down the road from you. Quercus macrocarpa – Bur Oak or Mossycup Oak. A truly magnificent tree. I got a little giggle out of helping you to ID a specimen! A little role reversal for me.
Hope all is well. Your friend Tina
November 14, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hi Tina – The specific name macrocarpa (“big fruit”) makes sense! I’m sure we’ll talk about them next year in woody plant class. When a dainty meadow plant I found out at the Konza Prairie turned out to be Stenosiphon linifolius, I kind of quite researching plant names for awhile. But no, I’m trying to keep up with the plant world’s latest while also going through a crash course in modernist architecture…