Life as a Flower

Since watching my garden, I haven't really been able to spot any major changes because of the darkness. Sure, the flowers lost their petals, but that's normal during the chilly season. I think it's their way of showing a different type of beauty. While I've been observing my garden, my mind has sort of been drifting away from its physical traits and mainly focusing on their actions. What I mean by that is a flowers life cycle. I picture myself as a flower and think how easy it would be to be a flower, but as I do research I find out it's not as easy as it seems. For example, they have to produce their own food. They also need to have beautiful, bright- colored petals to attract pollinators. In a way flowers share many characteristics to humans. As a matter of fact, a flowers life cycle is similar to a humans. A flower starts off as a seed and the seed goes through a process called germination, which makes the seed sprout. In order for the seeds to grow they need nourishment just like us. Plants need water and sunlight for growth to happen. Flowers are able to reproduce, however their reproduction is different from ours. The tube in the center of a flower has to catch pollen and once the pollen is trapped it travels downwards for fertilization to occur. Seed spreading is the last stage, mainly seeds are spread by the wind and the cycle starts over again. Once I read this information I had a different perspective on life as a flower, it's not as easy I thought. It seemed to me that a flowers life was just settling in a certain spot, enjoying the sunlight and swaying back and forth from the wind, but its actually complicated. Normally, we think of a flower as a decoration or just simply something beautiful to observe but even flowers are sometimes used as part of a humans diet, or used for a fragrance for us, humans. Flowers are often used to symbolize things such as love. Flowers have different jobs they didn't even sign up for. So in reality a life of a flower isn't as mellow or easy as it seems.

Beautiful features vanishing

As daylight becomes shorter and the nights get colder, my heart stays filled with joy watching my garden. I've noticed that at 6:30 pm, my usual time to observe, is dark now. "The sun goes home early and I'm left with the moon." (Field Notes 10/23). The garden seems different, it's dull. The work my family and I put in this garden seems like a waste of time to my family, but not to me. Yes, the asters are not bright purple anymore and the petals on the roses are completely brown, so what? My garden is still holding on tight. For example, the hierba buena is fighting strong against the cold, it is still dark green and is looking healthy. The leaves are a bit crispy, but it still has its own features, unlike the roses, whose petals are almost completely gone and the asters, that have lost the battle with Autumn because there are no more petals. The asters are plainly dark brown. I have to admit, the Asters are not attractive flowers anymore. I know the garden is colorless and it almost seems lifeless, but it's not just about the appearance, it's about the potential a garden has that shows the wonders of a garden. Slowly, the features will start vanishing completely, however, I am not upset because I know that the garden will show its beautiful features once again in the Springtime. The Death of the Flowers by William Cullen Bryant

The melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year, Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sere. Heaped in the hollows of the grove, the autumn leaves lie dead; They rustle to the eddying gust, and to the rabbit's tread; The robin and the wren are flown, and from the shrubs the jay, And from the wood-top calls the crow through all the gloomy day. Where are the flowers, the fair young flowers, that lately sprang and stood In brighter light and softer airs, a beauteous sisterhood? Alas! they all are in their graves, the gentle race of flowers Are lying in their lowly beds, with the fair and good of ours. The rain is falling where they lie, but the cold November rain Calls not from out the gloomy earth the lovely ones again. The wind-flower and the violet, they perished long ago, And the brier-rose and the orchis died amid the summer glow; But on the hills the golden-rod, and the aster in the wood, And the yellow sun-flower by the brook in autumn beauty stood, Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven, as falls the plague on men, And the brightness of their smile was gone, from upland, glade, and glen. And now, when comes the calm mild day, as still such days will come, To call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home; When the sound of dropping nuts is heard, though all the trees are still, And twinkle in the smoky light the waters of the rill, The south wind searches for the flowers whose fragrance late he bore, And sighs to find them in the wood and by the stream no more. And then I think of one who in her youthful beauty died, The fair meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side. In the cold moist earth we laid her, when the forests cast the leaf, And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief: Yet not unmeet it was that one, like that young friend of ours, So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flowers.

Bryant, William. "The Death of the Flowers." Famous poets and poems. N.p. n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014

changes

Since Autumn arrived, it has impacted the plants in various ways, mainly affecting their appearance. For example, the Asters dont have many petals. The Asters are basically dark brown buds on a stick with a few purple petals, making them look unappealing to the eye. However, the roses are still hanging on with yellow-brown petals. While observing, I'm wondering to myself how the stem supports the roses' weight, but as I look closer I see the rose is not balanced equally. The rose is not straight. The rose bud is slanted to the left. As I'm paying close attention to the roses I do something different, I'm not just observing with my eyes, I'm also using my other senses. I'm smelling the roses and they smell nice, like cheap perfume bought at a grocery store, nothing to exotic, but a decent smell. I'm also feeling the roses and I decide to open up on of the rose buds, seeing yellow-orange particles inside. I can't really describe it so I'll just show a picture of what I was seeing. I'm hoping they're strong enough to make it through the chilly season. As for the good herb, its texture is a bit hard and crunchy, but its appearance is still dark green and still has a strong mint smell. The leaves have holes in them. "The hierba buena has holes in the leaves, making me wonder if an insect is eating them, perhaps a caterpillar?"( Field notes 10/7)

As you look at the rose, you can see in the center the yellow-orange stuff I was describing.

observing

The plants in my garden have lived in the grass for a long time, if I recall correctly the purple flowers and herbs have been in my garden since I was about 6. We used to have Husk Tomatoes, which I know as "Tomatillos," but the plant just died. We've lost some plants and gained new ones, like my roses, which are absolutely gorgeous. The roses are a bright yellow and have huge petals. Their posture is a bit slanted, making them look as if they have a hunch on their back. The purple flowers have such a tall frame embracing their purple appearance. While, as for the herbs that have such a strong and minty smell and are covered in dark green pigment. I'm not quite sure what the herb is, but it looks very simple. However, recently I noticed that the weather affected the plants' physique.I've realized that the cold air impacted on the rose petals, having a bit of brown pigment. bright yellow petals, turning to crispy, chestnut-colored petals. I discovered that the purple flowers in my garden are called Aster amellus. I researched the aster first because it caught my attention with its stunning purple petals and tall frame, it was hard to miss such gorgeous flowers. I did research on the mint plant and found out that its called hierba buena, which means good herb. The leaves are medicinal and can be used for teas and seasonings due to its minty flavor.