Earlier today, there came an eerily familiar fracas from deep in the creek bed. It grew in intensity until I had to quit painting, grab the camera and slip unseen through the underbrush. The cacophony reminded me of a saddening situation a few years back. I witnessed a large male raccoon literally slaughtering the young of a small female. It was breeding season but she already had kits. Since the massacre took place high in the top of a dead pine tree, there was nothing I could do to help the sweet little mama. I watched and cringed as I saw the male pull the tiny babies from the nest, bite them and fling them to the ground. Little Mama tried valiantly to protect her litter but it was to no avail. She finally gave up and flung herself from the treetop. She would rather plunge some sixty feet to the ground than watch her babies be so brutally killed. This horrifying massacre lingered in my mind for years to come and, today, it surfaced with each scream.
As I edged my way through the underbrush and down past the palmetto clumps, I was thankful for the cool air. Hopefully, all cottonmouths had crawled back in their warm spots for the day and I would not tread on any. The screaming continued for the full ten minutes it took me to reach the spot where I could see what was happening. Thankfully, it was too early for kits yet but this was equally brutal. Sweet and gentle love is not a common thing in the critter world. Four large males were competing over a small female but she was caught in the middle of the brawl. No matter how she tried, there was no escape. She was bleeding and screaming as the males battled over her. Since no kits were involved (yet), I turned to leave. There was no reason for me to be there and, in fact, it would have been dangerous (and foolish) for me to intervene with nothing but a camera to use as a weapon to protect myself.
As I clamored up the hillside out of the creek, I was suddenly sidetracked. Without realizing it when I was racing down, I had plowed through a virtual fairyland of beauty! Dropping to my knees, I admired the beauty of mosses, ferns and tiny flowers! The overhead canopy of trees and bamboo had protected the area from the elements and allowed this natural wonderland to flourish! Oblivious to the melee going on about fifty feet from me, I started photographing the captivating beauty of the forest floor. Key word here is "started". After only two photographs, the camera went dead and, in my rush to be a "savior of baby raccoons", I forgot to pick up extra batteries. Yep, my wonderland would have to wait until I have another opportunity to weasel my way beneath the thickets. Since it is to be cold tomorrow, it should be a perfect time if the opportunity presents itself. Then, I SHALL remember to grab a pocketful of extra batteries!
Sometimes life is a bit hectic and confusing. It all gets sort of muddled up so that you just do not know which way is up. It is times like this that it pays to step back and look at things a bit differently. With the Clue Hunt on the Bayou in full swing now, my time is pretty limited for any other activities. Days are spent in preparation of the next team to come to the Bayou to try their luck at solving the mysteries that abound here. Son and I have worked long and hard to make their visit enjoyable but I miss having time to wander the hillside with the old dog.
This morning, Mr. PJ stared at me with those big brown eyes and I knew that I had been too busy to spend much time with him. Yep, dog, lets go for a hike. I figured a quick hike around the place could not take too much time out of my schedule. As we were rounding the back garden area, I noticed one area that was filled with weeds. Knowing that I did not have time to get out there and tidy the garden worried me a bit. I fretted over the mess until I really started to look at it. The goldenrod were sure bright and yellow! Wow, look how the wild ageratums' purple blooms contrasted so nicely with that yellow. And, in the back, the wild chives' seed pods added a nice texture to the melange. Throw in an old fence post and the whole weedy mess suddenly became a quaint, forgotten garden. Not bad.
Once I looked beyond the muddled mess of weeds, I began to see the garden. Hidden in plain sight was a thing of beauty if it was only seen correctly. I pondered over that and compared it to the confusion that was going on at the Little Bayou House these past few weeks. It occurred to me that in all of that hubbub, there was also a lot of smiles and happiness. It could not be all bad. Like that weedy mess that suddenly became a lovely, natural garden, all of the perplexity of the past few weeks just needed to be looked at in a different manner. Its all good. Its not for everyone...but neither is my strange, little "natural" garden. You just have to look beyond what the eye sees.
Down behind the shed in the far corner of the property...right near the marsh edge, there is one spot that I leave growing to wild abandon. It is here that there are a number of wildflowers that seem to spring up with each season. Some, like the violets, bloom in early spring and are close to the ground. Others like daisies and wild phlox tower on lanky stems and blow around with the Bay breezes. Then, there are the skullcaps. This plant has a great tendency to lean to one side and wind up mostly on the ground. Perhaps if I fertilized it, the plant would grow a sturdier stem and stand erect but, since this "garden" is one of wildflowers that seed themselves, I do little other than enjoy it.
The skullcaps are blooming now and have been for the past two months. Their purple blossoms do not stand up well to the noonday heat. It causes them to drop before their maturity. Hopefully, enough blooms matured to seed stage early in spring so that the plant can reseed for next year. Each bloom is a velvety soft purple cap that contrasts nicely with the green stalks and leaves. It blends well with the Stokes' Asters that can often be found blooming next to it along the creek beds. It seems that both plants love having soggy roots!
Although skullcap is used as a medicinal herb, I have yet to try any. Supposedly, it can be used as a pain reliever, nervine and sleeping aid. I am not sure just which of the many types of Scutellaria this is. Some day, I might just get the urge to try a bit as a tisane....maybe. When I am not positive of an identification, I am a bit leery. Sipping a cup of tea made from just any plant is not the brightest idea. I shall wait until a sure identity is made before drinking a cup but is sure is fun to know that there are so many different plants out that that offer possibilities!
