Nature Photography, Life
Yerba Mansa
Beauty in the Bog
May we exist like a lotus, At home in the muddy water Thus we bow to life as it is - Zen proverb
In India, the lotus flower epitomizes how pure beauty and tranquility can emerge from the muddy waters of life. I love the Zen proverb above because it does not teach us that we are separate from the messiness of life, but rather that we can bloom in the midst of it.
There’s a spot on a nearby hiking trail where these glorious white flowers erupt from a scraggly, muddy bog. Someone long ago built little footbridges over the muck. I often take this little side spur because I like the tranquility of this spot. But most of the time, there’s not much more to see than some raggedy bamboo shoots.
I always remember that, starting in April, this area erupts with these prehistoric-looking flowers.
They start off like little baby fists — pink and soft. Then they open into a towering stamen.
But what looks, at first, like a solid stalk in the middle of the flower is actually a multitude of tiny flowers all acting as one organism.
They begin to open from the bottom up.
Delicate paddles and whorls emerge.
Snowy white, virgin, petals begin to take on pink spots — evidence of life and time.
I didn’t have a camera, or even my phone, this past weekend. But, fortunately, my husband had his iPhone in his pocket. I’ll have to go back some day soon with my real camera and my macro lens. But, sometimes, it is nice to leave all of the technology behind and just be more “in the moment.”
This little plant is called Yerba Mansa or Anemopsis californica, a fact which I learned from using the Plant Snap app (a quite nifty little app). It’s a native to Southwest America and it grows in bogs and marshes, a lot like the lotus.
As the flower ages, the center toughens up into a tight cone which then falls off and drifts downriver, where it spreads its tiny seeds.
I just enjoy its beauty. I look forward to stumbling across it each spring. To me, it is a reminder that we all live in the midst of the mud and muck, and yet, we all have the potential to bloom in the sun.
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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Story and photos ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.
