Friday Field Notes--out of the Cracks

I admit to being fascinated by plants of any kind that grow up out of cracks in concrete or asphalt.  Years ago my mom pointed out a funny photo in the Indy Star to my dad--of a corn plant (already 5 feet tall or so), with an ear of corn no less, growing up out of a crack in the concrete in the median of US 31.  The photo was captioned "Purdue Ag Department Experiment".  We all thought it was hilarious--and it had the effect of making me notice for ever after *anything* growing up out of a crack. 

Moss is lovely:

...growing out of the crack between the street and a damp stone wall.  I dearly love moss--I nearly always touch it if I find some.

...it's even nicer if you get down on your hands and knees and have a closer look (this must be why my pants always have a hole in the knee).  See?  It looks like a succulent, doesn't it?  Click on that photo, won't you, so you can see it properly.  Up close you wonder, is that how moss flowers?  Or is something else growing up from beneath the moss?


Then there are those small, flat-growing plants that everybody just walks right over without noticing:

...coming right up between the asphalt of the sidewalk and the concrete block top of the river wall.  I honestly admire plants like this--they just exude that "never-say-die" spirit, don't they:))  This is the sort of plant that gardeners *hate* pulling from out between their bricked walkways.  It has strong roots--it doesn't pull up easily. 

Take a closer look--click on that photo, if need be.  See those wee flowers?  Up close, it's rather attractive, no?  It's Kohakobe, or stellaria media.  Nearly invisible stars of flowers that we walk over every day.  It's growth habit ensures the plant won't be fatally damaged, although I don't think it *enjoys* being trod upon.  There's also a close relative of this one called, appropriately enough, stellaria neglecta.

But, hands down, my best find recently was this gigantic thing coming up between a wall and the sidewalk next to the Circle K across from the bus center:

...*exactly*.  What the heck is that?!  Look at that broken asphalt!  Look at that enormous, fat stem bursting from a man-made ground!  Oh--right, you want to know what it is.

Yup--that is cock's comb, the popular backyard garden plant.  Taller than my daughter.

And though it may look artfully arranged there around O-Jizo Sama, I don't think anybody planted it on purpose in the crack between that step and the parking lot asphalt.

 ....besides, it was coming up in several other places as well.  This is not the kind of sidewalk-crack-plant you walk over without noticing.  I saw this stuff coming up in this place last year and just assumed it was a fluke, or maybe a joke.  Nope.  Came right back up again this year--same places by the Circle K parking lot and along the sidewalk and wall up to the Kumon classroom.

Makes a nice visual metaphor for perseverance, don't you think?







Here's a closer look at O-Jizosama (below):

Unusually for O-Jizosama, he has several pair of arms behind, and not what I'd call

a beatific expression:))

Lots of people in our hurried modern-day world tell themselves they need to "stop and smell the roses".  So they look around, don't see any roses or smelly flowers, and hurry on with their busy-ness, never noticing the strong, persistent life beneath their feet.  To that I say--get thyself a field book!  Those plants have names, too:))

Mata asobou, ne!

p.s.--I found last week's Yabukarashi coming up out of a crack next to the bus depot.

 Gambare, Yabukarashi!

                                                                                       ...Never say die!