Mother Nature's Fall Decorations

  It is no secret that fall is my favorite time of year.  What is not to like about this season?  My goodness!  Things are nigh on perfect!  The temperatures are dropping, the gnats are fewer, the Little Bayou House can be decorated to the hilt and no one thinks it is crazy and Mother Nature puts on a show like no other!  While everyone else is oohing and ahhing over pumpkin spice everything, I am doing the same about the sights, smells and sounds around the Bayou.  

  One of my favorite things that Mother Nature grants to us is the gorgeous Goldenrod blooms.  These things spring up in the oddest places but I always leave them when I find them.  The golden spikes just ooze the beauty of fall!  Down near the pier, there is one section of the yard that I did not mow for some time now.  This area is filled with the bright yellow blooms.  It is relaxing to see their golden noggins swaying in the gentle Bay breeze.  

  Yep, the marsh never looks so pretty as it does in the fall!  Along with the goldenrod, there are marsh asters, groundsel bush and duck potatoes.  Each are supplying a lovely bit of interest to an otherwise bland bunch of reeds.  The blooms are like little jewels!  Beauty is where you find it.  I find it in the marsh.  Mother Nature has done well with her fall decorations!

The "Joy" Flower

  Has it ever struck you that most every plant on this good earth has a use other than what we normally consider?  Think about it for a moment.  It is a daily occurrence that science discovers that some plant has wondrous properties that can be most useful in one way or another.  Of course, there are those that probably should not be ingested or tinkered with in any form but somewhere down the line, I guarantee, a helpful purpose will be discovered.  We just need to look long and hard.  Some plants have healing properties while others can be used in production of handy goods but all start out as that ordinary old plant.  It has only been a few decades ago that the lowly soybean was looked upon as a weed.  Then it graduated into the use as fodder for livestock.  Wow!  Look at it now!  Soybeans!  The wonder plant! That said, there just has to be alternative uses for every plant...EVERY plant.

  Down in the marsh, there is a small plant called the Salt Marsh Aster. As a plant, it is more or less nondescript but it does have an adorable little bloom.  The plant sits unnoticed until the buds start to open. Then, wham! Everyone takes notice.  (Or, at least I do!)  I like the Salt Marsh Asters.  They brighten up an otherwise drab bit of marsh.  Still, is that the sole purpose of this little plant?  To look sweet and draw butterflies? 

  I pondered that fact as I peeped over the edge of the boards of the pier.  A single bloom braved the winter's bite.  The last few days have been muggy hot thus causing the plant to push out a bloom.  Come two days from now, the cold will shorten the life of the flower.  But, my question was, why?  Why do these plants struggle to grow in the harsh environment of salty mud?  There has to be a reason other than to provide a minute amount of nectar for a passing butterfly.  

  Then it hit me.  Perhaps I am over-thinking the value of things here. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is one of those things that was put on this earth for pure joy.  (You do realize, of course, there ARE things like that!)  After all...in midst of the drear of this gray day, the little white aster beaming up from the marsh, did, indeed, make me smile!  Perhaps that was the sole purpose of the plant's existence.  To bring a smile....to brighten the day.  Not bad, Little Aster, not bad at all.  You have done your job well.  Now if we could all take a clue from that overlooked plant and bring a smile to someone's face...for no purpose whatsoever...just purely for the joy of it.  What a delightful objective that would be!  So....go out and be a Salt Marsh Aster!  Cause someone to smile!  It will do you good and spread a bit of joy in this downtrodden, old world and that, my friend, is a beautiful thing.

Salt Marsh Asters, Briars and Cow Killers!

The Salt Marsh Asters are in bloom now, which is nice since they brighten up the marshes around the Bayou. These can range in color anywhere from white to purple and although they are very small flowers, they are highly visible against the drab marsh grass. These wiry plants have unusual stems that sort of zigzag back and forth. Maybe this has something to do with growing in the marsh and having to fight for space. It is also one of the few plants that thrive in salt water. Their roots can be completely submerged in the briny water and they will still grow and bloom. The one in this picture was actually growing in about two feet of water, right on the edge of the marsh. The Salt Marsh Aster..one overlooked tidbit of beauty that seems to have no other purpose than to make us smile. Priceless!

Today, I tackled the blackberry vines. These brambles had multiplied to the point that they were taking over the entire garden space that should have been shared with squash and beans. I cut, slashed and ripped my way through a huge mass of them. And they cut, slashed and ripped their way through me! I came out looking like I had just tangled with a bobcat! I admit that I am foolish for not wearing protective clothing and gloves when I do something like this but then again, it was like an inferno out there. Yes, yes it is Fall..but we still had temps in the nineties today. Getting dressed in something other than a cool, cotton shirt and jeans just seemed to be asking for a heat stroke. After trimming back one side of the row, I had to dig out about twenty new vines that were growing in the garden away from the original row. This time, I did use my head.."Son, I need you to dig "a" plant for me." Little did he know that these plants have teeth! Still, he dug them all and even continued on to dig the rows for my Fall garden. The berries he removed had such nice rootstock that I hated to put them on the trash pile. For the time being, they are being stowed in the edge of the pond in hopes of finding a new home. Perhaps some kind soul will adopt these briars and give them space in their garden. If not, I suppose another row is in the making and this entails digging in posts and putting up a new fence. This summer, I picked three or four gallons of blackberries everyday off of the existing vines..what am I to do with another row?? Berries, berries everywhere! I keep threatening to start selling jams and jellies and I suppose these berries would be a good place to start!

While digging trimming the vines, I came across a Cow Killer! This bug is actually the Red Velvet Ant..and on that note, it is not an ant at all but rather a wasp that looks like an ant. A great, big ant wearing velvet clothing in the brightest of reds or oranges. It is the female that is often seen crawling around on the ground..the males have wings so they don't stick around long. She runs around looking for an underground nest of any other insect and then proceeds to lay her egg on the larva found there. This larva will play unwitting host to her larva and will also serve as its dinner. I often wondered about the "Cow Killer" moniker that has been attached to this beautiful creature. Could it really kill a cow? Should I get rid of this beastly bug? If so, how?? Yes, it can pack a wallop with its sting but it turns out that no where in history is there a record of a cow being taken down by our winsome wasp. Whew..that is a relief as I have seen dozens of them scurrying about our yard this summer. Not that I have herds of cows munching grass in my yard, but it is good to know this fact just in case I ever do! It is also a relief that these do not cause any damage to speak of in any way so I will not be inclined to exterminate it. But if anyone feels the need, the recommended method of disposal..a foot with a sturdy shoe! My bug shall live!