31 Comments
Mar 15Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

Thank you for the beauty ... and for the explanation, which even after years of being a wild flower lover had never really stuck.

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Then again, maybe there's something in those filaments we know nothing about? Hope so! 😉

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I couldn't take all this in because I was so busy enjoying the journey. Such beautiful photographs, they totally drew me in. 💚

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When I look at the photos, I keep saying to myself, "How could I have missed this over the years?" :-) So, yeah, I agree -- we do enjoy the journey.

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Mar 15Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

WOW. I will never overlook the simple yet flamboyant spiderwort again.

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I had liked them all along, but had never really warmed up to them. Now they're charming. And I'm on the lookout other members of the genus ... you know, get to know the relatives as well.

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Mar 15Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

Sometimes ya just wanna be fancy!!

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We do indeed!

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I love love love these flowers. They grow in my yard every year, the first just bloomed last week. I think they are exquisite. Nice to see some props!

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Around here in north Florida, they sorta mow around them! So common on the roadsides and yards.

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Very cool! I learned a few new things here.

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As I do when I read Fearless Green. Thanks, Rebecca.

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Really amazing photos - especially that large image of the Bluejacket.

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Yeah, that large shot -- I sorta want to crawl around in there! :-)

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You, poet man, you. Are you also wearing a fringed something? Maybe a sombrero. I hope so.

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Right -- I was thinking ... oh, what do they call them? A boa? 😆

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Feather boa. But you will want a furry fake one, not the pulled feather of an endangered egret. Send photos.

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These are incredible! I've never seen this before, and always appreciate the chance to be caught by surprise by nature once more :)

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Mar 16Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

Nature’s patterns seem to repeat themselves! The filaments (?) look like down feathers. Thanks for the photos.

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Yes, we do enjoy convergent evolution!

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I must say that I am fixated on the dragonfly. Your creation?

I'm like the seedling getting ready to burst through the soil. My mind is getting ready to explode and spill onto the page.

I always knew this day would come. At times I feared it, afraid I would not be able to find my way back, return from the water several feet below, but glistening and shining and beckoning for me to take the long plunge.

This is my way of saying, I am going to happily set aside a large chunk of my day to read lengthy publications in full.

Substack is not a slot machine for the casual reader.

Thanks for posting.

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Thanks so much, Catherine. Very kind of you. I feel the same about Substack, and I'm as well finding more time to read longer posts and essays. That dragonfly logo came by way of the brilliant Kelly Finan: https://kellyfinan.com/

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Mar 16Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

Thank you for the scientific name for my observation!

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Gorgeous, the picture of the words.

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Thanks, Holly. Sending you healing vibes ...

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Mar 18Liked by Bryan Pfeiffer

Bryan,

I quite enjoyed your observations and wonderful pics of Tradescantia, and posing just what those fluffy filaments might be all about. When in bloom in my yard it never fails to draw my immediate attention. It reminds me of my early botanical courses (at our Alma mater in Ann Arbor), when I learned that these very hairs are widely noted in biology as an example whereby one can view the cellular process of cytoplasmic streaming, courtesy of the huge aqueous vacuole of cells. (Widely depicted, even replete with music, on YouTube). Happy (almost) Spring! Mike

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Hey, Mike — I'm SO GLAD you pointed this out! I had been thinking about making a mention of cytoplasmic streaming in my essay, but wanted to keep it focused instead. Very cool stuff! And wonderful, contemplative videos as well. Thanks!

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Found you through Nature on Substack post by Rebecca. Oh my! Your macro! Off to subscribe!

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"Only when I noticed a sweat bee gathering pollen from those raging yellow anthers did I discover the ornamentation, at which point I stopped photographing insects for the day because I needed absolutely nothing else from the world." What a grand first thing to read this morning my friend. Day's made already. Thank you.

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