MYSTERY OF PLANT LIFE ON EARTH REVEALED ON THIS FIRST DAY OF SPRING ON RAINBOW CREEK IN TEXAS

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING TO EVERYONE IN THE WORLD AND WELCOME TO A PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS FOR NATURE LOVERS AND SOON TO BE NATURE LOVERS AS WELL

A SPECIAL CLASS TODAY REVEALING THE MYSTERY OF PLANT LIFE ON EARTH!

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and the beholder is always Human.
(with the exception of Aliens and others we can not see, as we do not know how they percieve beauty anyway.)

Human--I am hoping to accent what we in this class have in common--that we are all humans joined in the same species family sharing this Earth Together. If you are here, you are Human, as we are the only ones on Earth that can read! (that I know of).  We are of the Animal Kingdom

Today our Photostudy will be on The Plant Kingdom:  Mystery of Plant Life Revealed in Photos from Kates Cabin On Rainbow Creek, A Bird Sanctuary in Texas by:   me-brendasue

Let's go up to the Roof to begin our Class.

The dogs are waiting for us. The little King is Blond. Sissy is Black.  Kay Lonnie is Red. And I am Pink w/sunburn!

It looks like they see yet another Alien. (We have alot of those around here). Hey, Somebody start this Class!

Let the Class Begin!  Thank You Kay Lonnie.

Today is a Great First Day of Spring.  I bring you Flowers of the Peach Tree for the photostudy today. I hope by the end of the page that you will feel you are here with me seeing new life as it is revealed to us.

I have discovered that my Mom was correct when she said what I am looking for will be found in my own backyard. (Of course when I was little I went out in the backyard and saw nothing.) I think only Humans search all their life for who they are and why are we here. Everyone else non human seems to know their purpose! By exploring Life in my Backyard, I have found Life and Purpose.

I planted my Peach Trees over the past 10 years here on the banks of Rainbow Creek. I have enjoyed eating many sweet peaches. I have enjoyed Grandaughter Kate watching the Peaches grow and sitting on her Dad's shoulders to pick them when ripe.
These trees looked like dead sticks a couple of weeks ago. Slowly, little buds began to line the sticks and grew to fat buds that now have popped into pretty pink flowers everywhere!

The little things sticking out of the center of the flowers are called Anthers. When the new flower opens, they are white (on this variety, Sam Houston). As the days go by the stems turn pink, then red. The pollen is on the top of these anthers. (looks like little brown specs).

The bees pack this pollen in the saddlebags on their back legs to take home to the hive for food. While they are doing this they walk all over the center of the flower. The ripe pollen dust gets all over their bodies. (Same with birds and other insects). The bonus for the ones walking around on the flower is sweet nectar at the bottom of the flower to drink.

In the very center of the anthers, there is one long stem (yellow in color on this variety) and it is called a pistol.
For this flower to make a peach,one grain of pollen has to be placed on top of the pistol and find its way inside to the base of the flower. This process is called pollination. The bees (and others) are responsible for putting that grain of pollen on top of that pistol simply by brushing against it as they walk around. If the flower is not pollinated, it withers and dies. If it is pollinated, a peach begins to grow.

Peach Trees can only be cross pollinated. That means the pollen on the anthers of one flower will not be accepted in the pistol on the same flower. The pollen grains must come from a different flower on the same tree or a different (peach) tree. These grains are carried on the bodies of bees, for example, and are brushed off on different flowers as they make their way from flower to flower.
It seems to us this happens purely by chance. I believe this happens by purpose and design.

This is what the bee sees as he flys toward the branch. I do not know if he thinks this is beautiful as you or I would, I think he is attracted to the flower by color, smell, and knowledge food is there for him and his family like a store. I would doubt he is going there with the purpose to make a peach, never-the-less, that is what happens in his quest for food, he makes a peach.

We have a couple of bees that have volunteered to show us how this pollination works!

 

This is a Tulip Magnolia, not a peach. (Oh well, when you follow a bee around, you have to follow his flight path! ) So we will begin here.

This is SuperBuzz, a black bee that lives here at Kates Cabin. He will be our guide throught the flowers.

Looks like we are stopping here for a moment to rest. He is pretty fat for those little wings to carry him around all day. (He does stay busy as a bee).

 

Here we go, we made it to the peach tree flowers. You can see him landing on a flower.

This is how he walks around on a flower. By doing this, ripe pollen dust from the anthers sticks to all parts of his body. He is taking a sip of nectar which draws his head deep into the flower. He picks dust up and leaves dust from other flowers behind on this flower.

Here you can see against his black body the yellow pistol. It is possible that a grain of pollen dust has just been brushed on top of the pistol by superbuzz. If the grain is accepted into the chamber of the pistol, it will become a peach! Thanks, superbuzz, good job!

Here is buzzbee (a honeybee) saying: Follow Me.

Now he is walking around on the anthers! This goes on all day on days when it is warm enough for the bees to fly.

I wonder if you knew how hard the bees work to give you food to eat?

 

Thank you buzzbee, Good Job!

 

As you can see, the flower on the right has dropped its petals. The yellow tube coming out of the center of the dying anthers is the pistol. This one has been pollinated and is beginning to grow. This is what a peach looks like in its earliest form, a little yellow tube.

Here all the petals have fallen and the tips of the pistols are drying up sealing the chamber where the peach will grow.

 

Look at that little peach reaching for the sun. It needs warmth and light to grow. The purpose of the peach as far as the tree is concerned, is to house the growing seed inside the peach, for that is the next generation of trees--the prize package.

The anther ring will pop off as the peach gets larger.

See this one has already broken apart.

The little peaches are fuzzy and green. This concludes our Photostudy today on the Peach Tree. I hope you all see that the mystery of plant life is really a pretty simple concept as long as there are trees and bees.

Please stop using POISONS in your gardens. Please stop killing Bees and Birds. Or we will all stop eating. It is that simple.

Checking in on other life around the bird sanctuary, here is little Rambo taking a break fom sitting on the nest. The mate only comes by once a day now to give her a break. They are no longer mating. They are no longer screaming. Everything is very quiet as Rambo just sits and waits.

Soon we will not see Rambo in this tree as the leaves are popping out!

Rambo has that look every new mom gets:  'What have I done?'

And back to the nest she goes. It shouldn't be much longer until we see her start taking food up to the kids!

Goodnight Rambo.

And another sunset comes to Rainbow Creek. Goodnight King and Goodnight Kate.

Goodnight to Everyone, Everywhere.  If you are in my neighborhood in about 90 days, stop by and have a peach with me on the front porch!

.............this is brendasue signing off from rainbow creek:  Peaches and Sweet Cream Dreams to you all.

(Thank you, Costas for the Flowers of Spring.)  

( Thank you Stephen for you sniper shots and rambling through your mind looking for faith: My advice: Quit trying to rope your faith, put it in a corral and brand it so you can see it. Open the gate and let it go. Then go sit in your backyard and be still and you will hear. Close your eyes and you will see. Open your heart and you will feel . (But I am just a cowgirl down in Texas, what do I know?) I believe All Life on Earth is a Miracle and on Purpose.  I believe what my Mom told me: That Flowers are Kisses from God.      bsw