A catkin fallen onto a paloverde thorn
As I walked along a tributary of Bull Creek on March 15th I noticed a tall tree with catkins on many of its upper branches. (Sorry, I don’t know what kind of tree it was.) Then I noticed that a few of the catkins had fallen onto the ground near where I was standing, and on the way down one had even gotten snagged on the thorn of a paloverde tree, Parkinsonia aculeata, where it was hanging incongruously. A lot of things in nature wind up, at least temporarily, in places that do them no good. I’ve been in such places myself.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Like the photo; love the comment 🙂
Tina Schell
March 29, 2013 at 6:26 AM
I don’t usually editorialize or philosophize here, but the comment popped into my head and wanted to be heard.
Steve Schwartzman
March 29, 2013 at 7:03 AM
Like your piece on the catkins and where they wind up. Yet, I find the paloverde every bit as interesting. Paloverde is aptly named and finally I learn what it is. Thank you for sharing all you do.
georgettesullins
March 29, 2013 at 6:30 AM
You’re welcome. Paloverde is fun to photograph because of its greenness (hence the Spanish name), its thorns, its pods, and its flowers.
Steve Schwartzman
March 29, 2013 at 7:09 AM
Such a happy pairing – you caught my attention as surely as the thorn caught the catkin. I’m in the process of putting together a post about pollen and its carriers. This is one of the most attractive photos of a catkin that I’ve seen.
shoreacres
March 29, 2013 at 7:20 AM
And you caught my attention by playing with the word catch. I haven’t had much experience with catkins, but every now and then some have caught my attention. I was intrigued by the way this one cast its shadow on the paloverde.
Speaking of pollen, did you know that it’s a Latin word and that in Roman times it meant ‘fine flour’ and then more generally ‘fine dust’? The botanical sense got added only in the 1700s.
Steve Schwartzman
March 29, 2013 at 7:46 AM
[…] for the word paloverde, which means green branch in Spanish, you’re welcome to look back at what inspired that name; the thorns in that picture are yours at no extra […]
Feathers on paloverde | Portraits of Wildflowers
January 14, 2014 at 6:03 AM