Yesterday was Election Day. About ten days ago I received a dozen roses. You know what flowers look like after ten days. I finally admitted I should toss them. When I did I was struck by what I found on the back of a fern. So I got out my camera.
A little research showed it was fern rust – I think it is Milesina dieteliana Magnus. It’s not usually thought of as pretty. But the pattern, the uniformity wowed me – it’s another example showing the intricacies of nature.
Yesterday I was tempted to post the pics along with an extended metaphor on the rust in our politics. But I couldn’t make it happen. It was a false equivalency.
I could admire the fern rust with its polka dots so uniform they’ve could’ve been stamped by a machine, but I can’t find that same admiration for the rust in our political system—it is will-nilly and lop-sided and there’s nothing pretty about it. And the Machine at work behind the political rust is not an example of our best nature at work.
The election is over. I’ve thrown out the fern. But I share the photos here.
Leave a Reply