~Red Yucca~

~Seed Pods~

These yucca plants grow in my yard very well, almost too well.
Every spring I need to uproot the seedlings, a very prolific plant.
If I didn't preform this culling I'm afraid they would take over.
I have a very interesting theory about why so many seed sprout.
The seed are not viable until they and the pods are dried out.
Shortly after they dry, when the pods are disturbed, they rattle.
A very loud rattle, much louder than one would expect to hear.
So my theory starts here, it is when the birds land on them.
Expecting to enjoy a delicious feast of dried red yucca seeds.
The birds will agitate the pods causing them to vibrate and rattle.
I, myself, have been startled by the noise when I bump into them.
They make a noise surprisingly similar to a unhinged rattlesnake.
The bird is startled and flies away, and will not return again.
Even my smart dog, Rio, won't dare to go near the Red Yucca.
Trained as a hunter, he is also trained to avoid rattlesnakes.
I living in the desert, where rattlesnakes can turn up anywhere.
So I try to give this plant a wide birth, so as not to bump into it.
No matter how many times I here it rattle, I never get use to it.

Thanks for taking a walk in my yard with me and good ol' Rio.


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Epilogue #11

When I started these epilogues, there will be twenty, I wasn't sure were I was going with them. What purpose they would serve. As they are evolving, number eleven now, I think I see a pattern forming. What I am writing is not so much for you, about me. It seem to be progressing into something for me, about me. I has helped me to solidify my thoughts about where I am going photographically. It is helping me to understand my own photographic perspective. How I view the world around me, how I perceive that world, and what I want the viewer to see, through my eyes, to see my world. For instance, when I look at this cactus, I don't see it planted in the ground, sticking out of the dirt.
I don't see it leaning up against an old fence, needing its help to stand tall. I do see it majestically scraping the azure sky. Its wonderful colors and textures in contrast to the beautifully smooth gradation of that blue sky. Contrasts so opposite, that for me, they just seem to go together, as one entity.
There are times, now, when I actually know what I'm photographing, thanks to the Blip. And also, thanks to all the wonderful comments and encouragements I have gotten from my fellow Blipper. I'm not just stumbling around anymore in the photographic universe. I do believe my artistic compass is not just spinning wildly anymore, it seem to be settling down, to eventually point in the direction I need to travel.