Decay… Again
broccoli leaf
Once again I am struck by the aesthetic side of decomposition. This time I took the broccoli leaf into the studio to photograph it. It was a little late in the evening and pretty dark for photography outside.
This is the same type of leaf that in June I was so taken by its waterproof quality. It now looks very different. No longer waterproof, it has taken a distinctly autumn-ish color. It looks worn and ragged.
As my garden ages it changes in so many ways. Leaves like this broccoli leaf become battle scarred. Tomato plants wither from the inside as they seem to yield their energy to the fruits as they ripen. The same fate falls to Noah’s pumpkin plants. They look horrible – just dying – again, in sacrifice to the beautiful pumpkins they produce.
Only the pepper plants continue to look as virile as their fruits.
This is the period of the greatest harvest. It comes at a price the plant itself pays. We enjoy the harvest but I also watch as the plants begin to succumb to their efforts.
A wonderful shot. Excellent.
Thank you.
I took a quick look at your Backroads Photoblog. Very nice. I especially liked the bike photo. I also like your honest writing.
well i wouldnt say ‘succomb to their efforts’. it’s more that they carry on their life process. i am going to have to finish the tree book and give it to you. every page fascinating and full of details about trees i never knew. even down to why leaves are green. it’s funny that for me also, the pepper plants are the ones that are survivors. so tempted to pluck one and taste, but i must wait. i love the photo too. i think you should do more of the leaves.
I did exactly that (plucked a jalapeño & tasted it) a few days ago. They were fine but HOT! Mom made salsa with some tomatoes & jalapeños tonight. It was really good but it had no vinegar in the recipe we had so it tasted a little like spaghetti sauce – very GOOD spaghetti sauce.
Thanks for your comments on the photo, Jesse.
Jesse, you might be right about the phrase “succumb to their efforts.” That may be a little fatalistic.
it’s what i find so amazing about plants. well animals too. how they have both adapted to survive. fascinating and complex.