Transcendent

[vaneramos]

Another thought from Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez:The land is like poetry: it is inexplicably coherent, it is transcendent in its meaning, and it has the power to elevate a consideration of human life.

Monotropa uniflora grows all around our cottage. It lacks chlorophyll and is parasitic on fungi, which in turn take nutrients from tree roots, so it

Comments

[bearfinch]

I remember learning about those in botany class. They are sometimes called "beech-drops" because they are always found near beech trees that their host fungi are commensurate with.

[vaneramos]

That's interesting. We only have one medium-sized beech tree on our property, and many of the Indian-pipes are near it, but a few are quite far away. The dominant trees are hemlock, cedar, balsam fir, red maple, yellow birch, striped maple and mountain maple. I'll have to take a closer look next time, but the beech is my favourite hardwood, so I tend not to overlook it. Beeches are colonial, so I suppose their roots get around.

Up periscope!

[inishglora]

The center stalk resembles an eye blinking through a periscope.

Re: Up periscope!

[vaneramos]

Yes, and there is something preternaturally human about these odd little plants. No wonder one of their common monikers is "ghost plant".

Re: Up periscope!

[inishglora]

I should ask, is that quote by Barry Lopez from his book Crow and Weasel?

Re: Up periscope!

[vaneramos]

No, from Arctic Dreams. Have you read Lopez?