Fun With Nature

Chances are you are familiar with the marsh plant known as a cattail. If you haven't seen one up close, you have probably seen a picture, or a painting (most likely also featuring ducks), or a children's drawing where they are featured because they are really easy to draw. If you have seen none of the above, probably because you have been living in a bubble, this is what cattails look like.

Ah, yes, very pretty, but that's not my point. Until this weekend I had no idea how awesome these little seed pods are to play with. I have grown up around them my entire life and had no clue. In fact, my seven year old niece had to fill me in. I guess that's why they say children are the future. Behold, the exploding cattail:

I know, it's awesome. I went all up and down the row of them, just popping them open, and helping to propagate the next generation of cattails. I even got a picture of one mid-explosion.

Doesn't it remind you of something out of "Little Shop of Horrors?" It looks like it's about to sing. Oh, if only everything in nature was this enjoyable. Then I would actually think of becoming an environmentalist because I wanted to, and not because of guilt. Really, the Sierra Club should jump on this now. Of course, I guess hundreds of people going out into fragile ecosystems to molest plants probably isn't what they are going for. Well, it's a good plan B.