Day 5, Antelope Horns

“I go to books and to nature as the bee goes to a flower, for a nectar that I can make into my own honey.” John Burroughs, The Summit of the Years.

Observing nature is not only about what we see, but about what is awaken in us by what we see.

The curiosity in looking closer and reading the fine print is a fascinating practice alone. 

To linger over it and watch the dramas and tragedies, along with the abundant beauty, now there’s the fun. 

At least for me. 

The pause is where thoughts are triggered, when the experience translates into one of value  — yes, enjoyment most, but also knowledge, perspective, gratitude, spiritual reflection, and healing when I need it. 

Today’s gift is another one-flower bouquet, an arrangement of Antelope Horns, Asclepias asperula. 

The complexity of the flower yields nectar for a lot of honey!

Antelope Horns is in the milkweed family and is an important food source for the Monarch butterfly caterpillars. It is poisonous to other animals and people.

They grow in the fields, and in the caliche along the roads, and in the shallow soils around the limestone outcroppings.

In other words, they are found all over the ranch. 

Antelope Horns can sprawl to several feet

and the stems have leaves up to eight inches long that fold lengthwise, resembling tent stakes.

Big ball-shaped flowers top each stem and they look like popcorn balls scattered in the grass.

The ball flower heads are actually many flowers clumped together. 

If I couldn’t show a picture, I would describe the flowers as yellowish, creamy-green bowl shaped flowers with five petals each, pointed at the ends and each tip crimped upward. In the center of the bowl is what looks like a deep purple-maroon starfish with one white stripe on each ray. The rays are also curled up at the tips and appear to be holding a cream pearl from the deep. Placed on the center of the starfish is a finely decorated dark chocolate doughnut with alternating piped stripes of tan and lime-green icing that ring the donut. The doughnut is cream-filled in the middle, and the cream is the same yellowish, creamy-green color as the petals. Oh, and for fun, the cream filled center is branded with a starfish.

Thank goodness I have photographs!

 In early April, the flowers form as small tight balls.

The flowers-to-be look like tightly wrapped packages in the shape of fat pentagon stars.

The more zoomed in, the more fascinating.

I’ve never witnessed the flowers opening, but I know they don’t all open at the same time because I find full-sized balls with some flowers open and others not.

Once they all open, they are open for business and the honey making begins.

I love these giant bees and they love Antelope Horns. 

It seems this bee lingered too long.

The Tragedies.

And while I love pops of orange color in nature, I’m not sure about this one! Zoom in!

 

Antelope horns attract not only bees and bee predators, bugs of all types can be found on the flowers. 

The Dramas.

 

Sometimes I find Antelope Horns that look like this and I haven’t figured out if the flowers fell off or something ate them off. I think eaten, but who is eating a poisonous plant?

The Abundant Beauty.

They look like small-scale sculpture set on the landscape.

When I was taking photographs of yellow flowers for the Day 2 bouquet, I found this beautiful Antelope Horn that seemed to bask in the sunshine along with the Hymenoxys. 

And then next to this plant I discovered another Antelope Horn, not so basking, but looking weary.

No wonder.

Antelope horns are notorious for having aphids.

The next phase for Antelope Horns is starting now — the flowers are drying out and the seed pods are forming. 

These green seed follicles will grown longer and then strike their curved pose. 

The curved seed pods, said to resemble antelope horns, are where Asclepias asperula gets its common name of Antelope Horns.

I’ll jump ahead of the season and share a few pictures from last year, so you can complete the story of an Antelope Horn.  

Here are the seed pods when mature. 

And the next generation begins.

Anyone making their own honey?

Tomorrow is Day 6, Pink Flowers

Take Comfort.