My wife Bonnie loves to garden and landscape
and she is really good at it
Over the last few years she has grown a lot of food for us
carrots, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic and a variety of herbs
And she has also turned much of our landscape
into a beautiful, Texas appropriate, drought friendly arrangement
I love to have her green thumb at work around our house
and since we love to spend time outdoors
the ever-increasing diversity of life that she grows and attracts
is such a great addition to our home and outdoor life
One of my favorites parts of gardening
is each season when we till the vegetable garden plots
to see the quantity of birds that are instantly attracted to our backyard
taking their turn at the bugs and worms that have been turned up in the process
then to think about the cooperative effort that allows our plant-life to grow
the enormous milieu of microorganisms in the soil giving their resources to the plants
the plants taking from those microbes while basking in the sun and water
all the while sharing their nutrition with other animals and organisms
the trees providing support and safety to the plants
giving their leaves in the winter to warm the ground
those leaves and decomposing organisms and organic materials
feeding the soil’s inhabitants
and then come warmer months the plants are ready to make a return
No one season or member greater than another
no action “right” or “wrong”
each simply a necessary component in the cycle of nature
Competition is not the dominate force of nature. Cooperation is.
and it requires a spectrum of activity for its accomplishment.
Of course I love to go out with my kids
take a tiny little speck of a seed, toss it in the soil, and watch the seed grow
It’s quite astonishing what a seed can become
all that it endures and utilizes to thrive
its potential of growth realized and surpassed
and the richness it contains and then imparts to each that takes part in its life
the vital plant learned to move and grow
not against… But With
the pressures and resources of its environment
thus it did not achieve its potential thru preconception only adaptation
And then there is the part of a plant that once seemed so peculiar to me…
Have you ever seen a plant move?
Yes, move. Not passively blown in the wind
Actively, autonomously, in real time, move and change itself?
Does this happen? How can this happen?
We have some of the same plants plotted at different locations in our landscape
and what I began to notice is how different they could look
not only throughout the season but even throughout the day
It happens in some plants or some parts of the garden so unbelievably obviously
it’s as if you see the plant expressing itself as you would a person
as they stand tall, cower, reach, bend, extend, drink, eat…
but is this so peculiar? or is it purposed? are these movements self-governed?
shouldn’t they be able to change their architecture and actions
in the absence or excess of particular elements?
wouldn’t it be that which we consider to be living
would have the ability to regulate itself?
to better conserve, consume or create
that which is necessary for the continuation of the life cycle?
Does a plant not open its pores to the morning dew?
Does a plant not grow towards the sun?
Tropisms display not only the relationships that exist in the nature cooperative
but they represent the sensitivities and actions of living organisms, specifically plants
the plants are moving, intentionally and autonomously
they are sensitively, specifically and skillfully doing so
they move, subtly or plainly, adapting form and function
doing the work to fulfill biologic needs
plants undoubtedly feel, perceive and act accordingly
how else could they get and give what is needed for life?
Plants are a niche in the community of LIFE
and are most certainly an active member of it
But there’s more…
(stay tuned for Part II of Botany and Biology)
Being Craig 