Red in the Garden

My garden is finally getting some attention. Each day brings a little improvement.

There are Poke Weed trees in several places by the fences.. Their identification was verified by a New York Botanical Garden photo including an informative article. They have red stems with an abundance of berries which turn dark purple as they ripen. Their name is thought to come from an Algonquin word “pokan” which means bloody. I have cut down and pulled out of the ground several of them, though I am considering keeping the tallest one. It is located up against a fence in a spot not ideal for anything else. It might help some birds survive the winter. The chance of the birds spreading the seeds is 100 percent.

After I read the New York Botanical Garden article featuring poke weed I explored the rest of their website. I read about an ongoing exhibition by the artist Ebony G. Patterson which has been extended through October 22, 2023. I wish we lived closer to this garden so I could go see this in person.

The words:” …things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting” caught my attention. This is the name of the exhibition. The black vulture statues positioned among the field of flowers struck me as funny. I used to see black vultures and turkey vultures frequently in my neighborhood. They liked to hang out in trees next to the local little league fields. I would see them on some grocery store dumpsters. I rarely see them anymore. Seeing the picture of the vulture sculptures placed among the flowers seemed out of character for this species. The juxtaposition made me think.

Anyways as usual I went looking for my vulture pictures. I found some, but not the ones I was looking for. I did find a red cardinal beginning to molt. In my garden I have frequently seen the almost bald heads of male and female cardinals.

I like the artist Ebony’s idea of the connection between thriving and the shedding and molting. I feel like I have been shedding and molting for a long time now. I feel ready to thrive. These words uplifted me and made me realize this is how nature works. Thank you Ebony G. Patterson.