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| FALSE SPIREA |
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| ANOTHER GOAT'S BEARD |
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| EACH PART FITTED PERFECLY |
Monday, 8:00 AM. 75 degrees,, wind SW, light. The sky is partly overcast and quite hazy, and it is very humid.
Yesterday’s weather was truly oppressive, hot with very high humidity. Our home has no air conditoning, as we only get a few days like yesterday a year, and an evening convertible ride is as good a way to cool off as any. It did cool down and dry out by the evening, but it appears today will be a repeat performance. Where’s that wind from the NE?
The false spirea, Sorbaria sorbifolia, in the rose family, is closely allied with the spireas and the genus and species names relate to Sorbus, the mountain ash genus, which its leaves resemble. It is also closely related to Aruncus, the goat’s beard shrub, which I talked about a few days back. False spirea is native to east Asia. It is a very large, spreading plant useful in shrub borders and for screening, it blooms profusely in mid-summer and is interesting in form and foliage. Although not native, it has a very naturalistic appearance. It does not seem to be invasive and it might be used more than it is in the landscape.
There are several species of Tragopogon, a naturalized European field weed. The common name goat’s beard refers to the seed head before it fully opens, which resembles a billy goat’s beard (you can appreciate the problem with common names). In full bloom it looks rather like a large yellow dandelion. The symmetry of the Tragopogon seed head, like that of the Nautilus shell, represents to me the perfect design of nature; purposeful parts, fitted together as though designed by a brilliant engineer and made by an expert craftsman. Call it intelligent design or call it evolution, take your pick, but the perfection of beauty and utility is wondrous.
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