
{"id":19978,"date":"2011-07-28T10:01:38","date_gmt":"2011-07-28T14:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=19978"},"modified":"2011-07-28T10:01:40","modified_gmt":"2011-07-28T14:01:40","slug":"flora-%e2%80%9cmother-nature%e2%80%99s-daily-special%e2%80%9d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2011\/07\/28\/flora-%e2%80%9cmother-nature%e2%80%99s-daily-special%e2%80%9d\/","title":{"rendered":"FLORA: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mother Nature\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily special\u00e2\u20ac\u009d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Ken Moore<br \/>\n<em>Flora Columnist<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Monterey Valley kisses the southern end of University Lake<br \/>\nAnd holds a fascinating primordial stirring of upthrusting rock<br \/>\nAnd most fecund ferned and fungied transitional forest.<\/p>\n<p>First thing in the morning and last in the day<br \/>\nI walk with my camera into some astonishing display<br \/>\nMother Nature\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily special.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_19979\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19979\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2011\/07\/28\/flora-%e2%80%9cmother-nature%e2%80%99s-daily-special%e2%80%9d\/buttonweed-by-brian-stokes1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19979\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/buttonweed-by-Brian-Stokes1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"buttonweed-by-Brian-Stokes1\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19979\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/buttonweed-by-Brian-Stokes1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/buttonweed-by-Brian-Stokes1-113x84.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/buttonweed-by-Brian-Stokes1-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19979\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO BY BRIAN STOKES. Buttonweed is a frequently overlooked wildflower.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>Some new hued face catches mine<br \/>\nViolet, yellow, white<br \/>\nAnd no matter how tiny it lays down there<br \/>\nOn the bosom of Earth<br \/>\nIt has my eye and my Heart.<\/p>\n<p>That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how I fall in love with wildflowers<br \/>\nAgain and again and again.<br \/>\nThey cast such a spell that simply gazing<br \/>\nIn wonder brings purest tonic of Joy.<\/p>\n<p>It takes no learning for the pleasure itself is a teacher<br \/>\nAnd then you simply begin to get acquainted.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Brian Stokes for the above description of his daily walks in nearby woods. Brian is fortunate to be situated near the forest bordering Price Creek on both sides of Damascus Church Road at the southern end of University Lake.<\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily \u00e2\u20ac\u0153closer looks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at the local flora called to my attention several common but seldom-noticed wildflowers of particular beauty.<\/p>\n<p>The little white-flowered buttonweed, <em>Diodia virginica<\/em>, is common throughout the state in roadside ditches and even possibly scattered among the violets and dandelions, if you allow them, in your lawn. <em>Diodia teres<\/em> is very similar and also common, but you need not worry about the distinctions. Just enjoy that the distinctive four-petaled flowers may remind you of bluets or Quaker ladies you saw back in the cool spring, as well as the woodland evergreen groundcover, partridge berry. They all occupy places in the madder family, Rubiaceae, and you can share that with your friends! The common name, buttonweed, most likely refers to the little seedpods that resemble old-timey little round buttons. <\/p>\n<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s other special of the day is butterfly pea, <em>Clitoria mariana<\/em>, which while very common seems to bashfully keep its ternately (in threes) compound leafy vines hidden among woodland edges. It may attract your attention only when one of those vivid lavender-blue pea flowers greets the day. It is so beautiful that it simply needs no other description. In Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 simply gazing in wonder brings purest tonic of Joy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n<p>I mentioned the area along Price Creek many months ago (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Take an Avatar walk,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 2\/4\/10) after local musician Tim Stambaugh described it as one of his favorite nature haunts. This past winter, I joined a Heritage Hills resident in walking the path behind the community\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tennis court. The low flat terrain includes a cypress swamp, which is a magical-in-all-seasons place, but, for most folks, probably best explored in the winter season, when poison ivy is dormant. In dramatic contrast are the paths bordering Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Monterey Valley area of giant boulders and undulating steeper terrain.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19980\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19980\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2011\/07\/28\/flora-%e2%80%9cmother-nature%e2%80%99s-daily-special%e2%80%9d\/butterfly-pea-by-brian-stokes1\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19980\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Butterfly-pea-by-Brian-Stokes1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"Butterfly-pea-by-Brian-Stokes1\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Butterfly-pea-by-Brian-Stokes1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Butterfly-pea-by-Brian-Stokes1-113x84.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Butterfly-pea-by-Brian-Stokes1-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19980\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PHOTO BY BRIAN STOKES. A butterfly pea flower stops you mid-stride.  <\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nAs I described in that earlier story about viewing our local forests as Avatar-like landscapes, both Brian and Tim appreciate their \u00e2\u20ac\u0153closer look\u00e2\u20ac\u009d walks that reward them with the naked, heart-stopping wonder of really seeing the living world. As Brian so beautifully expressed it: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mother Nature\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily special.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p><em>Email Ken Moore at flora@carrborocitizen.com.<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\nFind previous Ken Moore Citizen columns at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/flora\">The Annotated Flora<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daily \u00e2\u20ac\u0153closer looks\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at the local flora called to my attention several common but seldom-noticed wildflowers of particular beauty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-flora"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19978"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19996,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19978\/revisions\/19996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}