Saturday, February 11, 2006

NATURE'S DESIGN

We so often think of the natural world as being something that appears random, asymmetric, organic.
Not so.
When I came across these gum logs, I immediately imagined the woodsman had been having great fun making patterns with his router.
But I am told that these wonderful maze-like designs have been created by beetle larvae tunnelling beneath the bark.
What wonderful designs for quilting, or cut-away applique!!



Meanwhile, these immature Norfolk pines display that intrigueing five point star pattern around the central trunk. They really are so beautiful and symmetrical at this stage.
Louise Menadue, who lived on Norfolk Island for many years, was fascinated and inspired by these stars, and wrote a lovely children's story called "Norfolk Stars." Louise was an incredibly creative lady, a great gardener and floral artist, needleworker, poet and writer. She appreciated and valued the people and the world around her....something I like to call "savouring"...and a quality I would love to emulate.
Back to the pines. As they mature, and move on through their lifespan, which can be hundreds of years in the right environment, weathering and age may cause their trunks to become become knobbly, their branches irregular, and some of them may actually branch out into two or three trunks if there has been some damage to the crown. Instead of looking like schoolgirls in a row, each one develops its own unique and individual character!
A bit like us humans, don't you think?

1 comment:

Sharon said...

Definetly... We all start out more or less the same and as we grow , we all develop differently - even if our environment is exactly the same... I often wonder about the nurture/nature debate... Is it our genes or our enviroment that makes us they way we are... I am think especially in the event you are a twin... I have known several sets of twins in my life and in particular two sets come to mind... They were identical - but so, so different in their approach to life... Both sets had the same opportunities in their family units but took very different roads in life... Sorry I tend to ramble a bit... But looking at those trees sent me off into a lateral mind spin...

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