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| Compass Plant |
When I'm out for a walk, my eyes and my ears are always on alert, scanning and picking up on movement and sound, or a slight difference in color or texture, that may indicate something interesting nearby. My other senses take a backseat. Smell sometimes gets a chance, if there is a Common Milkweed or other fragrant flower nearby. Taste...I seldom chance that, not being particularly well-versed in foraging for wild foods.
Touch, though...no reason not to deploy touch on a calm early spring day, when bugs are scarce and those itch- or blister-inducing saps have yet to rise.
A trio of still-standing stems from a Compass Plant: solid and sandpapery.
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| Pussy Willow |
Pussywillow catkins: a familiar touchable of nature, of course soft as their namesake.
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| Goldenrod |
A winter-weathered Goldenrod inflorescence: the wispy seed fluffs contrast with the crispy, rough remains of the flowers.
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Cup Plant
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Square-stemmed Cup Plant: the sharp angles of the stem are fun to feel, and the membranous scrap of the cupped leaves clasping it are rough and surprisingly tougher than they appear, requiring some pressure to break apart instead of crumbling gently at a touch.
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| Cattail |
Cattail: Looks deceptively soft, but feels a bit like a flat-piled, cheap rug.
Thistle: Stupidly emboldened by the way winter has worn away the edges of things, I prod the inflorescence long enough to think, this isn't nearly as sharp as I thou-- when a small, very pointy prickle stabs my fingertip. A nice reminder that touch, while a sense that shouldn't be ignored when exploring the world around us, carries dangers with which sight and sound don't have to contend.
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| Thistle (aka "Li'l Stabby") |
