Coiled Filaree © Yvonne Cornell 2013
Mother nature crafted the one-seeded fruit of the Erodium or “filaree” flowering plant with a corkscrew tail. This gives it the greatest chance of survival with an explosive dispersal and the ability to burrow into the soil. When this tiny inch-long fruit falls to the ground from the parent plant, the tail coils and uncoils like a corkscrew in response to alternating humidity, thus planting the seed further into the ground with each twist. We all are born survivors. Often the traits required to overcome the human challenges of life are not always physically apparent. We coil and uncoil, try and fail, and try again. Ultimately, our silent survival adaptations of mental fortitude and emotional commitment — resilience, hope, compassion and love — are the mightiest arrows in our quiver.
Uncoiled tails after exposure to moisture…
Uncoiled Tails © Yvonne Cornell 2013
Leave a Reply