Spring Beauty

       Dear Lilliputian,


I wanted you to see that while we are not looking . . . flowers are doing the most amazing things . The flower to the left is a Spring Beauty that is newly opened . The pink anthers are still held high in the air on top of the stamen . . . but if you look at the second photo on your right the stamen of the Spring Beauty  have curled outward and the anthers are touching the flower petals . They quietly lie down while we were not looking . Each stamen has its very own petal to lie in .

(If you are wondering what is an anther and what is a stamen click on this next image)

This little flower is smaller than a half inch in size , but it is rather strong .  When the seeds are ready they burst out of the flower and travel up to 2 feet in the air . The seeds can also be carried away by   Ants to the Ant's underground homes like we talked about in the Lilliputian letter about Bloodroot  flowers . Aren't you surprised that such things as anthers laying down or that seeds bursting forth from the flowers are somethings that you never knew went on in a very quiet and wonderful way ? It makes me wonder about all the wonderfully quiet and shy children I have met . I wonder what amazing things they are doing in their quiet and thoughtful way . They are a lot like flowers . 

One of my favorite picture books is about a bull who loves to stop and just enjoy the beauty of nature . I think you might like this book too . It is called The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf .

Until next time , 

Wildbee