Overlooked Beauty

  More oft than not, what is deemed beautiful is something flashy, colorful or adorned with gaudy embellishments.  Something basically gray and nondescript is passed by without a second glance.  Throw in the fact that said thing is literally dead and most folks will think just the opposite of beautiful.  A dead, dried up plant is not considered a thing of loveliness.

  In spring, bright flowers dominate. Summer presents us with the rich green leaves and (usually) bright blue skies.  Fall dominates with vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of harvest.  In winter, however, plants often "sleep" and turn brown or gray.  It is then that we overlook a lot of the most intriguing things that Mother Nature has to offer.  Beauty can be found in the simplicity of a bare twig or deep bronze leaf.  Seed pods are simply divine and when winter bares all, the pods stand out as exquisite ornaments.

  The Confederate Rose provides us with lush greenery and plate sized pink blooms during the spring, summer and on into fall.  It is gorgeous. Wintertime, however, sees the stalk devoid of blooms and leaves. Still...it is a thing of beauty.  Atop each stalk, are seed pods that burst open to reveal feathery like fibers and deep chocolatey brown seeds.  Add a bit of fog to the air and the pods glisten in the filtered sunlight.  

  Sometimes, I am more attracted to the bits of loveliness that can be found during the bleak wintertime than all the showy gaudiness of spring and summer.  It takes a keen eye to spot the seed pods, a fog-laden spiderweb or spirals of lacewing eggs but if one takes the time to really search, beauty abounds during the winter.  Our problem could be that we look but never see.  We overlook what is all around us.  Things of beauty are there waiting for our discovery.