Nature Essays
Small Treasures
Other treasures of nature are seldom enjoyed because they have brief lives. A mayfly lives for only a day. A luna moth lives for a week. Blink and they’re gone.
A city dweller may never see a cardinal plant. It has only a brief blooming period, so to see one you would have to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. That’s confluence of factors is unlikely. This wildflower frequents boggy places along streams, in swamps, and by other wetlands. They thrive where people seldom venture--deep within tangled marshes or along flooded riverbanks.
The same is true for the myriad of mushrooms that dot the forest floor. These burst through the loam, flourish, and then blacken and die. Yet during their brief lives they may display complex patterns, rich hues, and surprising shapes.
A city dweller may never see a cardinal plant. It has only a brief blooming period, so to see one you would have to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. That’s confluence of factors is unlikely. This wildflower frequents boggy places along streams, in swamps, and by other wetlands. They thrive where people seldom venture--deep within tangled marshes or along flooded riverbanks.
The same is true for the myriad of mushrooms that dot the forest floor. These burst through the loam, flourish, and then blacken and die. Yet during their brief lives they may display complex patterns, rich hues, and surprising shapes.