Greenhouse Beauties

These bell shaped flowers fascinated me.  They were growing from a tropical plant in the greenhouses at UNCC.  The main part of the plant was full of stems but not densely formed.   The buds look like fragile single colored balloons and then they appear to open and variate in color.   A male pollen stem descends from  the balloon's center with female receptors all around the center stem.  Seeds then form as insects transfer pollen from the male to female appendages .  The seeds then drop off with the help of gravity making the plant hardier and more dense with time.

Yellow Berries

I have never seen such beautiful yellow berries before.  I am not certain of the plant variety but could not take my eyes off of these unusual stems flowing on the breeze of the day.  There were birds all around the periphery of this plant but I never saw one take one and eat it!  I spent about 15 minutes just watching and the birds would approach and then turn away as if they were disappointed that the treasure they thought they had found was just a frustration....

Water, Rock, Earth and Leaf

It was a cold, windy and overcast day today.  I went out in search of a picture that spoke to me and this is the best expression I could shoot.  It is a snap shot of the season impacting the water and earth  that constitute the substance of this small creek. Winding through the botanical gardens at UNCC, this stream is filled with leaves and debris that have fallen from the trees overhead.  In some places the flow of water was completely stifled and forced to overflow its normal boundaries in search of a path with less resistance. It made me think how much like water people can be.  We have a compelling need to move onward and when we are opposed our first response is to go around whatever is obstructing our path even if it means we leave our natural path of flow.  Water is a powerful force of energy and can profoundly impact its environment.    It is the only element I can find in scripture that had it origin in Heaven above and was divided but not created in the creation story.  Makes me think that some of the drives in us may be similar.  Just something to think about.