swarm in november?
the birds flew a week ago
before the record cold.
the ladybugs have disappeared
(except for the few who are still hanging around on my kitchen ceiling…)
the bees are safe
making honey in their hives,
even the stinkbugs have gone into hiding.
here at the cottage
there are no swarms of bicycles, umbrellas, cars, or children.
there are swarms of leaves,
but I took that photo last week…
there’s a swarm of paint cans in the basement
(but that does not inspire.)
i was just about to pass on this challenge.
after all, i’m plenty busy cooking and cleaning
this week before thanksgiving.
and then, standing by the kitchen sink,
i look out the window.
this is my view all winter long.
i’ve taken pictures of it before.
it’s spare;
it’s subtle;
a swarm of sycamore achenes
hanging in the november sky.
and i’m grateful for the sameness of the seasons — the cycles of nature that come round each year.
Yes, it certainly is odd. One lone stalk bursting into five gorgeous icy pink lily-type flowers that circle the top. We had no idea how or why that one odd flower was growing in that one odd spot. But it made us laugh and take a picture of it.
Later I googled Naked Lady Lily — ahh, the small joys of the internet — and discovered that it is not, in fact, a lily. It is Amaryllis Belladonna, and the only true amaryllis. You know those giant flowers sold at Christmas time, under the Amaryllis name? Not. (For your gardening pleasure, they are technically named Hippeastrum.)
Apparently Clara’s Naked Lady doesn’t know that it is hardy only up to Zone 8, and up here in the frigid hinterlands of Zone 5, the bulbs have to be dug up in the fall and replanted in the spring. They look best planted with hostas, and they don’t mind a shady spot, though they prefer sun.
So now I have a quandary — should I just let it be and risk losing it? Should I dig it up and replant it in the spring with a few others? One website noted that they really don’t like being disturbed… The bulbs are 3 for $39.95! Gulp. No wonder Clara only had one! Maybe I’ll just plant some pretty hostas around it…
the circle of life 