Thursday, June 23, 2011

Field Trip to a Magic Plant

By the suggestion of my mother and father I decided to take Jeffrey's Garden Blog on a field trip to another garden and report on the mysterious plant that inhabits it.  Dan & Wanda Westfall of Northern Greene County have found themselves entertaining a handful of people for about a week now during the sunset hours with their Evening Primrose.  Folks seem to just wander over to their backyard, or pull up the drive, grab a lawn chair and commence to sitting in front of this bush to watch the show.  Sometimes it starts right at sunset... sometimes it takes a little longer, but the waiting and anticipation seems to feed the anxiety and wonder about what they are about to witness.  The flowers of this plant begin to pull their outer shell back and bloom in a very quick fashion right in front of your eyes.  The blooming process can take anywhere from 10-45 seconds.

So I went, with camera in hand to see for myself.  I was amazed.  To see something like the blooming of a flower happen so quickly was awe inspiring, but my mind quickly turned to the others in the crowd and what we were doing there.  I was standing in a yard with my parents, the Westfalls, and 4 other people who I did not know and watching this take place, pointing and excitedly laughing about what we were witnessing.  No television, no radio, just the sound of a rural ozarks night, and a handful of natures pilgrims gathered together. It was a very rewarding experience.

Below is a video of different shots collected throughout the night set to some fine music I borrowed from Steve Martin and The Fleet Foxes.  If you want to see this in HD click on the YouTube icon and play it full screen from YouTube's site.

I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed being there.

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