I love how the first and final shots tell a story of outcrossing — how the anthers are dehisced and devoid of their pollen so that they do not fertilize those luscious, ripe stigmas of the same plant.
Grinning here after going to read up on a few of those terms to be sure I was getting a clear idea of your nuanced meanings...
Quite obviously, I have not done the entire outcrossing, pollination story justice here. I was just kinda in and out with a playful glimpse of the tiny female flowers, in passing. Once I saw how far that one raindrop had fallen in 1/800 second adjacent to such miniscule little magenta catcher's mitts, that was my story.
Dude, we are all good. With a field zoologist dad, I grew up sitting amongst scientific folk in all sorts of settings and learned a great deal by listening carefully and looking up new words that intrigued me. I'm a big fan. I also learned to chuckle at the ways some could make the simplest, most elegant little things sound totally baffling by surrounding them with jargon and bouncing an acronym or two into the convo, a form of scientific shorthand that felt as much like a clubhouse password test as it did an efficiency booster. You are the guy who introduced me to the notion of 'Groovy Gulls' and other such approachable terminology, so I'm more than grateful for your playful, teacher's ponderings,
What a masterpiece, this whole essay…and the insignificant significance of the filbert flower. Thank you for opening my eyes to her delicate, insistent beauty. I also might add, I call hazelnuts “nasel huts” and now want to somehow measure them by shoving their wee-mess up my nostrils to see how many might fit up there.
I love those flowers. I have where the light gets into the woods. At the end of the driveway and by the garage. The catkins are the alert to look for them. Thanks for sharing the details.
You had me going there until I saw the photo and went, " oh yeah, filberts, related to the beaked hazelnuts-Corylus cornuta- around here (Vermont), and not due to show their red ruffly skirts for two more months!" So enjoy your lovely catkins whilst spring arrives there and we shovel snow here.
Corylus avellana, out here. Two more months. Wow. We've been in the high fifties several times in the past few weeks. Doesn't bode well for summer, or for swelling buds if we get another hard freeze but it is what is, this year. Thanks for the lovely note, Micki.
Yes, these guys are so amazing! I saw them for the first time when we moved to Maine, where a native Beaked Hazelnut grows wild in the understory. First, I thought I was seeing things - then I couldn't believe it when I got up close and it really was a tiny, magenta, little firecracker of a flower. I look forward to them every year now. This is a super-close-up I took one year, just fascinated by how spectacular such a tiny blossom can be 🤣 https://sydney-michalski.pixels.com/featured/spark-sydney-michalski.html
I love how the first and final shots tell a story of outcrossing — how the anthers are dehisced and devoid of their pollen so that they do not fertilize those luscious, ripe stigmas of the same plant.
Grinning here after going to read up on a few of those terms to be sure I was getting a clear idea of your nuanced meanings...
Quite obviously, I have not done the entire outcrossing, pollination story justice here. I was just kinda in and out with a playful glimpse of the tiny female flowers, in passing. Once I saw how far that one raindrop had fallen in 1/800 second adjacent to such miniscule little magenta catcher's mitts, that was my story.
This one was fun:
https://roguefarmsblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/the-weird-sex-lives-of-hazelnuts/
Thanks for keeping it accurate and educational, my friend.
Oh, crap -- I lapsed into botany jargon. Sorry. Those botanists -- got another word for damned near everything! :-)
I myself have a fondness for those flowers -- we call them hazelnuts in the east. Same genus. https://chasingnature.substack.com/p/twitter-notes-and-sacred-wildflowers
Thanks for that link. Nice to know of other kindred souls out there among these little explosions.
Dude, we are all good. With a field zoologist dad, I grew up sitting amongst scientific folk in all sorts of settings and learned a great deal by listening carefully and looking up new words that intrigued me. I'm a big fan. I also learned to chuckle at the ways some could make the simplest, most elegant little things sound totally baffling by surrounding them with jargon and bouncing an acronym or two into the convo, a form of scientific shorthand that felt as much like a clubhouse password test as it did an efficiency booster. You are the guy who introduced me to the notion of 'Groovy Gulls' and other such approachable terminology, so I'm more than grateful for your playful, teacher's ponderings,
Just delightful!
🙏
What a masterpiece, this whole essay…and the insignificant significance of the filbert flower. Thank you for opening my eyes to her delicate, insistent beauty. I also might add, I call hazelnuts “nasel huts” and now want to somehow measure them by shoving their wee-mess up my nostrils to see how many might fit up there.
I like this nutty side of you, Ms Nasel Huts! Or would that be Princess Nasel Huts?
And ummm, yes, that would be a fascinating unit of measure. Be sure to take pictures so we can all learn with you. ;-)
I'm so grateful for your generous and playful soul.
Thank you for such kindness.
Thank you.
Everytime I go nuts I have to backtrack over the shells.
Best keep your shoes on.
You got me at “they have their skirts up now😂
I may have laughed out loud when I read this. So pleased that it connected.
You plaster a smile on my face. Danka!
It is what I'd hoped might happen.
Loved playing with some of your tongue twisters here as I savoured yet another delicious offering from you.
Thank you. I am going to go and eat some hazelnuts now and wonder at their beautiful origin.
This is just perfect. Thank you.
I love those flowers. I have where the light gets into the woods. At the end of the driveway and by the garage. The catkins are the alert to look for them. Thanks for sharing the details.
You're most welcome, Cloutier. Small wonders are sometimes the most wondrous.
You had me going there until I saw the photo and went, " oh yeah, filberts, related to the beaked hazelnuts-Corylus cornuta- around here (Vermont), and not due to show their red ruffly skirts for two more months!" So enjoy your lovely catkins whilst spring arrives there and we shovel snow here.
Corylus avellana, out here. Two more months. Wow. We've been in the high fifties several times in the past few weeks. Doesn't bode well for summer, or for swelling buds if we get another hard freeze but it is what is, this year. Thanks for the lovely note, Micki.
Still skiing here in the fields with the dogs. But the Imbolc has arrived and the light is stronger and longer, so we're happy.
Yes, these guys are so amazing! I saw them for the first time when we moved to Maine, where a native Beaked Hazelnut grows wild in the understory. First, I thought I was seeing things - then I couldn't believe it when I got up close and it really was a tiny, magenta, little firecracker of a flower. I look forward to them every year now. This is a super-close-up I took one year, just fascinated by how spectacular such a tiny blossom can be 🤣 https://sydney-michalski.pixels.com/featured/spark-sydney-michalski.html
Not a millimeter mentioned! Love it. Intriguing. We have two such trees and I will be out there today observing the beauty.
K
Crrazy man! Crrazy!
Welcome aboard, yer Excellence.
Read first before coffee, I thought it a riddle. J’amuse bouché
Sip, sip … ‘Tis a botany lesson, an invitation to observe closely and soon.
🥰💫
I do so adore you, Jann.
Thank you for such a lovely note.
Love filberts. Now, even more 😄
What Steffany said!!
DELIGHT!!!!👆👆‼️