Drosophila melanogaster

DSC_6509Isn’t he cute? Our first born too. And we feel so special about him because he’s just so special.  And we decided to give him a unique name. Not a really unique name like Tyler or Crispin or Skywyn or Jake or Tanner or April or Jimeen.  Just a unique one.  Tell the truth we just don’t know the sex.

Drosophila melanogaster.  Step right up.  They’re flying by my head right now.  It’s tough.  They just don’t seem content to die off like they should.  They’re like the Imperial Japanese Air Force.  Buzz buzz.  Flying around looking to bug somebody.

Great name for a band.  Look, I just want to get drunk here.  They’re all over me.  And they bight too.  They can be as irritating as their country cousins the No-see-ums.  The country cousins pack a wallop for their minute size.  “Gdamn no-see-ums,” we used to call ’em in the woods.  These citified miniature fruit-flies though, while they bight, it’s more of an itchy/scratchy thing.  Loved that show.  Cat hates ’em.

In the Clear and Pounding Down the Field. Touchdown!
In the Clear and Pounding Down the Field. Touchdown!

So when you’re staring at your breakfast tomorrow morning remember why the baby’s fussy.  It’s Melanogaster.  It’s hard but time is on our side.  After a while it’s just another annoyance.  It’s September 17 and we will outlast you, Drosophila.

It’s ridiculous.  Those little green pail things with the handle the city gave you to put your vegetable peelings and stuff in?  Don’t open it.  Not good. Dark swarms of Drosophila melanogaster’ll be all over you.  It’s awful.  Ow! Get outta here!

Fruit-fly images courtesy CS Nicol

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The Cosmos

It’s up there.  Out there.  The whole bandobast.  Everything you ever dreamed of and will never have.  The vastness.  The incomprehensible.  The incalculable.  The mystery.  Of the Cosmos.  Whatever’s not working we ‘ll fix it later.  The super-sized dithering universe and everything in it.  Forget it.  Carl Sagan.  Everybody.

We needn’t concern ourselves.  With what?  With this. We’ve got a little bit of Cosmos right down here.  Cosmos bipinnatus.  Take a picture, Heatherington.  Get the lead out.  These people don’t have all day.

DSCN0268That’ll do for now.  I thought you said you knew something about photography.

You know.  These long green-stemmed thingees that grow up and explode in late season with these brilliant pink flowers with the yellow bitzy things in the centre.  Cosmos.  Native to Mexico, apparently.

That’s Mexico Lindo to you, Mr. Stanton, if that in fact is your name.  Old Mexico.  These ones aren’t in Mexico.  If they were naturally I’d feel some concern for them because Mexico is a tough country.  Esta un infierno, mi amigos.  Some day we’ll learn proper Mexican Spanish.

Cosmos is about time.  Not about clocks or watches.  Time.  A flower so vast and intricate and a pink example of something that just is. You don’t have to get it.DSCN0265Señoras and Señors and all you muchachas and muchachos and niñas and niños along for this joy-ride.  It’s for you.   Exactly like that.  I didn’t believe it myself.  That a plant could be called “Cosmos”.  It’s almost as bad as “Cleome” and that’s totally unbelievable.

We’re gonna slow things down a little bit here.

Cosmos courtesy CS Nicol

 

 

Virginia Creeper

I better get this down. You know, before I forget. Sounds scary. The creeper from Virginia. Creeps around. Creeps me out. Not exactly. It’s just a plant, a climbing vine that swallows buildings. Nothing to worry about here.

It’s amazing the things you learn from people who know more than you.  I mean about Virginia Creeper and a whole lot of other stuff.  Like how Viginia Creeper is what grows on the Sylvia Hotel.  Oh yeah.  That stuff.

DSCN0253Ouch.  The Sylvia.  Ran up some horrendous bar tabs in that place.  All in the past.  All in the past….

So now, of course, September’s here and the creeper’s turning red.  It’s the chlorophyll, guys.  The chlorophyll.  It’s over.  Finished.

These leaves have fuzzy backsides.  That just sounds wrong, but it’s true.  Feel the back of one of these leaves and it feels fuzzy or velvety.  Anyway, ladies, it’s got texture.  And texture is something to be coveted.

I don’t expect anybody to understand that this blog is not about plants.  I get that way myself sometimes.  What this blog is not about is dogs.  Those dogs.  What this blog is about is art and creativity by the last person who would know.  And sometimes plants.  I just want to make sure I stay on the same page here.

DSCN0255Parthenocissus inserta.  What this plant is, is reliable.  Reliably green in spring and summer turning reliably red and orange in the fall.  That’s from the Sunset Western Garden Book.  I know.  It isn’t officially fall yet.  It’s okay.

Virginia Creeper courtesy CS Nicol