Tillandsia ~ a universe unseen

Tillandsia ~ a universe unseen, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

This is a quick freehand watercolor study of ball moss, Tillandsia recurvata. It’s growing on an oak branch that broke off in a recent windy thunderstorm. Not a moss at all, this air plant is a member of the bromeliad family. Air plants are epiphytes, growing on other plants or trees and obtaining their food from the water and debris in the air and around them. Contrary to some popular beliefs, they’re not parasites and do not harm the hosts.

The dense clusters of linear grayish-green leaves capture water from rain and dew, and create a habitat for all types of tiny living things. Caught between its wiry strands you can see live oak leaves that will decay and provide nutrients. I’ve often wondered at the small organisms that must make their homes around and on these types of plants, if we could only experience them from a microscopic point of view.

The haiku written by Issa connects me to the wonder I feel about a universe of life in a small space. If we were a tiny ant crawling along that branch and encountered this unexpected forest of life, what we experience? How far and deep would we travel; what would other worlds would we discover?

It is just a ball moss on a broken branch,
and yet…

Hyssop Spurge

Hyssop Spurge, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

A flowering weed;
Hearing its name,
I looked anew at it.~ Teiji

I have to say that I consider this plant to be a weedy nuisance. I see it everywhere it shouldn’t be: mostly in my flowerpots and growing in the patio and driveway cracks. It flowers, it seeds, I weed it, it sprouts again.

Just to be contradictory, I also like weeds. And I happen to like the sound of this one: SPURGE. If I have the identification correct, I can further enjoy rolling the words “Hyssop spurge” around my brain.

The Haiku above reflects my feelings after identifying and naming a plant – I suddenly look at it differently. Perhaps it’s a personal connection, or maybe I like things to have a place in the world, even if it’s in a human-created concept. I also feel a shared sense of wonder with plant explorers from the past who passionately learned all they could about each new discovery.

Hyssop spurge is indeed considered a weed by most everyone, especially on the Internet, which abounds with elimination techniques. The one positive source I found was in the Botanical Dermatology Database, which describes the milky sap as used to treat warts, calluses and ringworm.

When broken, the stem exudes a prodigious amount of opaque white sap, which is typical of Euphorbias, and probably just as bitter and caustic as other family members such as Poinsettia and Devil’s backbone .

Now that I’ve researched this spurge, I see this species and its relatives just about everywhere. Identification is NOT my strong point; there are many different kinds of weedy spurges and I feel lucky to have found a name for this one.

Next time you are in the garden or taking a walk, take a second look at the flowering weed under your hand or heel – you may happen to find yourself looking at it with new eyes!

You can click on the largest image to view it on my Flickr photostream.

Mangrove roots at Freedom Park

Mangrove roots at Freedom Park, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

A watercolor pencil sketch of red mangrove roots, looking down from the boardwalk. Right now the ground is damp - in the summer (our rainy season) it would be swampy with several inches of water.  I added a haiku (I'm at the beginner's level!) as a way to expand on the sensations I felt.

You can click on the image above to view it larger on my Flickr photostream.