Okra is beautiful. First a creamy white five petaled flower appears. Where the flower meets the stem, an okra pod begins to develop.The pod seems to gently twist the flower closed as it lengthens. Eventually the flower will wilt into a little cap on the end of the pod before falling off. What is the point of such a flower with its rich maroon interior?
I took a picture of an okra flower for this post yesterday. Today I realized it didn't do the plant justice and when I went to take another photo it was too late; the flower had already become a cap. They are only in full bloom a day or so. Again, what's the point of such artful ripening, particularly when it is so fleeting? Why does such creativity detail a vegetable?
Because its survival depends on such beauty. Would that we could understand ours does too.
I love beautiful Okra flowers too, more to look at than to eat I must admit though ;) Michael Pollen had a wonderful essay in Nat Geo a few years back about orchids and the function of their exotic beauty, fascinating stuff !
ReplyDeleteSuch Beautiful writing. Thank you for provoking thought. Thank you for sharing your artful ripening.
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