You are your own ecosystem by Chris Boone
December 14th, 2007 2:01 AMOh, wait, no. Try again:
Tillandisa, grounded.
Beautiful epiphyte.
Tillandsia, hanging.
This little fellow -- growing larger by the week -- depends entirely on me for water, and not at all for anything else. Appreciation, I suppose.
Trumpet flower, morning.
I always have flowers around, and always some by my bed, on this little wooden case. They depend on me for their survival, but in a short-term kind of way. They will die, and soon; it's my duty to stave that off as long as possible.
Trumpet flower, afternoon.
I did a worse job of that than usual with this flower. Though I'm not sure it's my fault, exactly.
Trumpet flower, next day.
Sure was interesting watching it melt though.
Flower, current incarnation.
The last one was a warmup round. This is the flower currently by my bedside, currently depending on my water-renewing attention to sustain its life.
Fox red curly sedge.
Ah. This is a wonderful plant. A sedge, of course, and curly, and fox red -- that much is obvious. What is less obvious is that it is an evergreen; though, since it is never, in fact, green, it's an ever-red? A nevergreen? And yes, I did steal the mini-glock from the Ed Banger kids. They had plenty.
Orchid, one.
Phalaenopsis, in bloom.
Orchid, two.
The other phalaenopsis, which is currently not in bloom. Seen here taking its weekly bath. Happy little orchid in the clawfoot tub.
Araucaria.
Always conjures up an image of the South American highlands for me. Not that I've ever been, but images get stuck in my mind quite easily.
Sarracenia, then.
This is a sad story. This is a North American pitcher plant, an amazing carnivorous bog plant.
Sarracenia, now.
Which I seem to be killing. This is the winter for it, and I've moved out into a cold dark spot, as I've been told to do. Nonetheless, I can't shake the feeling that something is very very wrong. We'll see in the spring, I guess.
Ferment.
And one bonus round: These items do not depend on me for their survival, exactly; more for my mercy. I depend on them. Clockwise, from top right: Chickpea miso tamari, brown rice miso, sauerkraut. All raw and quite alive.
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Carnivorous bog plants thrive in bathrooms I'm told. If you have a windowsill in there, even better. The humidity from your shower should cheer it up.
Thanks y'all.
Don Barbapoca: That's where I had it (cf. the happy sarracenia photo), but I read, in a couple places, that they need to have a normal winter simulated for them, which means dark and cool. I dunno though.
I like the diversity here. I'd argue that the living food isn't really counting on you for survival, plus the organisms involved don't count as being visible really (i guess there is a mold involved in making miso, so maybe?), but it's a bonus anyway. Plus, it looks delicious! I really love the melting flower picture. Where'd you get the Sarracenia? in fact, where'd you get the orchids? If i'm not mistaken orchids are pretty temperamental, so good job with them.
As for the Sarracenia, i imagine that mimicking bog conditions might be fairly difficult. Good luck.
The pitcher plant and the orchids all came from one or the other of the flower shops in Noe Valley. (Either the one with the parrot, or the one with the crazy lady. I forget.)
The orchids are doing well. They're temperamental in some ways, but quite tolerant in others. I once stole an orchid from the greenhouse of this evil couple I worked for (as a caretaker, nominally; as a peon, in practice, since the couple had been some sort of Polish nobility back in the day, and had brought their early-twentieth-century-feudal attitudes with them), and it survived for almost two years with no attention from me whatsoever. I mean, it didn't thrive, but it stayed alive.
I'm doomed with the bog. But the payoff.... Have you ever seen a North American pitcher plant flower? It's amazing.
i haven't but would like to. there are some pretty big bogs that include a lot of strange flora like that up here in new england, i just have to leave the state to get to them. still haven't managed it but hopefully will sometime soon.
i'm Polish, but didn't come from nobility, so you know, i guess you don't have to steal any plants from me. apparently my last name has something to do with my ancestors coming from a place that grew hops though, and hops=beer=awesome. so, there's that. i could get these nobles drunk on beer and then you could steal some more of their plants. it'd be pretty sweet. anyway, cool plants man.
i want to vote for this epic beard conversation going on
Oh deer sweet and merciful. What a lovely flowering on that pitcher!
And for the beautiful Tillandsia.