mi·nus·cule

animal, Key West Field Guide, vo•cab•u•lar•y

(adj.) extremely small

On nature walks, I tend to get caught up trying to remember the names of the flowers, the sea beans, the sea shells, the wildlife. Each familiar plant or animal gives me a friendly face to greet.

I’m never lonely in nature, even when I am alone.

But occasionally, the world seems too big, too crowded, too busy, too much. Sometimes, I need to shrink the world to recover the joy of getting lost within it. Micro-shelling changes my perspective. It narrows the world to only what I choose to focus on. Instead of seeking knowledge, I avoid it- and often find inspiration in the process.

Bushy seaside oxeye

Key West Field Guide, vegetable

Borrichia frutescens

All the field guides I’ve looked at show bushy seaside oxeye blooming in full glory with a thick rim of ray flowers and topped with black anthers, but I most often see it sporting few, if any, ray flowers.

Borrichia frutescens flower bud and leaf in profile
Borrichia frutescens with only disc flowers
Borrichia frutescens flower with new ray flowers
Borrichia frutescens with reflexed ray petals
Borrichia frutescens gone to seed

Find more info here.