Wednesday, June 1, 2011

reaching out




You have to admire the boardinghouse reach of your typical vine. They're opportunistic, sending out little green fingers in all directions just looking for a little support.

The twisting, turning, entwining tendrils are modified stems, leaves or branchlets that grow remarkablly fast in all directions, wrapping around anything possible to pull the parent plant along.

The curious growing patterns of vines so piqued the curiosity of Charles Darwin that he published a comprehensive monograph: "On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants" in 1865. 

They remind me of the old song by Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops, "Reach Out, I'll be There."


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mmm. I'd only been here a few seconds before a surprising metaphor/personification grabbed me and made me stop to read and re-read. Boardinghouse reach. I had to keep reading.