Two takes on smartweed

From the Arbor Walk Pond on October 8th come these two flowerless and abstract takes on smartweed (Polygonum or Persicaria sp.). In the top picture you’ll recognize the way backlighting increases color saturation, particularly in the reddish patches that contrast with the soft and subdued blue of the sky. How smart of smartweed to produce leaf nodes that offer themselves up to smart photographers.

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For a couple of years I’ve been aware of The Babylon Bee, a parody website like The Onion in which everything is made up. To get a feel for The Babylon Bee, you can check out a few stories:

• Father Informs Daughter Of New Tax On Unrealized Halloween Candy Gains
• ‘Land Of The Free, Home Of The Brave’ To Be Removed From National Anthem To Encourage Compliance With Vaccine Mandates
• Motorcyclist Who Identifies As Bicyclist Sets Cycling World Record
• Mounted Border Patrol Ordered To Replace ‘Whips’ With Bags Of Money
• New York Restaurant Adds Voting Booth So They Can Allow People In Without ID

The Babylon Bee is clearly a satirical website. No reasonable person would ever think that a story with the headline Report: More Unborn Babies In New York Identifying As Convicted Criminals So They Can’t Legally Be Executed is real. Nevertheless, one peculiarity of the times we live in is that so-called fact-checking organizations have occasionally investigated The Babylon Bee’s made-up stories and rated them for truthfulness! Politifact, for example, gave a Pants on Fire rating to the story “ISIS Lays Down Arms After Katy Perry’s Impassioned Plea To ‘Like, Just Co-Exist.’”

For more information, you’re welcome to watch an interview with The Babylon Bee’s CEO Seth Dillon that begins at about 49:00 into a recent episode of the Megyn Kelly Show.

© 2021 Steven Schwartzman