Expeditions through Organs of the World

I took a journey over all the parts of an ugly weed that was growing in the area we keep the trash cans. I wanted to give the thing a chance to gain respectability. What I learned was that under the microscope all plants are created equal. The microscope is a great equalizer. There are no ugly weeds in micro land. . I traveled through the wonders of a Queen Anne's Lace this afternoon. This is an intricate gathering of delicate white flowers, each with tiny petals, stems, and leaves. The tower of flowers hides all the hard reality of cells and fibers. . I took my journey over the surface of a broadleaf weed. What I saw was strange and beautiful in some ways, but was not alien. It was the stuff of the Earth, reminding me of things I have held in my hand and lifted. . I joined an expedition to a weed again. I hoped to raise the ordinary out of anonymity. This weed did have some remarkable structures including nearly invisible flowers. At times it was difficult to photograph, getting the light right, a worthy effort. . I made a pilgrimage through a weed that was growing between the cracks of a stone walkway. It was rich in the mechanisms of vegetable life, scenery, art, and wonder. . Nature is the mother of art, often filtered through the eye and mind of a human artist, but, as I discovered with the microscope, possibly without the help of human beings. The carrot paints microscopic images that human artists could equal but not excel. Some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is inside the skin of a clover.