Plants have an extraordinary sense of adaptation. They are able to thrive in what would other wise be seen as uninhabitable places and can emerge from the smallest of crevices. I mean seriously, have you ever been walking down a brick path and have seen a flowers growing in the middle of it? I have many a times and am still amazing at the will power to thrive.
As many made machinery slowly deteriorates under natural conditions, these plants will continue to grow and thrive, eventually reclaiming this machine as their own.
Without human activity, a well kept city can be transformed into a wild jungle within a decade. Just like I rock, paper, scissors the paper being the plant will defeat the rock. While exploring the Keys, it became more and more apparent just how powerful and resilient plants are. At an old limestone quarry, trees and other shrubs battles boulders for space to live. In section 74 of the Windley nature handout it says trees growing here must send there roots into nooks and cronies of rocks because little soil is found on exposed coral reefs. Check out this amazing tree that is surviving and thriving living off rocks!
Now that's a root system! This native tree to the Keys has a waxy cuticle on its leaves, breaching root system, and thick rounded trunk to help store water and regulate salt.
Mother nature will always revive, survive, and thrive when given the opportunity. I mean do you see how cool this is?
This little guy grew straight through this limestone boulder! Of course rain water and erosion help build a path, but no less cool. Just goes to show it doesn't matter your size as long as you try.
Check out Windley Quarry yourself and see ridiculously cool roots and fantastic fossils!
https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Windley-Key
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90116540/a-visual-encyclopedia-of-genetically-modified-man-made-creatures
#keysquarry #surviveandthrive #wildwindley
It is actually pretty amazing how plants are able to adapt to weird and unusual ground and can still manage to grow.
ReplyDeleteI still can't get over that second tree, extremely sick. This post reminds me of coconut trees. They can grow in sand or dirt, and yesterday I saw some growing with their roots completely submerged under water. Also, coconuts themselves are fruits, nuts, and seeds.
ReplyDeletei loved walking around the different parks and seeing how nature prevails. it was so cool because it shows the true strength of nature to be able to grow through a rock. In every park we went to the way nature grew around whatever manmade object was there, was truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteLooking at your post really makes me think of the destruction of Hurricane Irma. Most of the small islands in the keys were completely leveled and I think it is cool to see those small successional plants already start regrowing after the storm in less than a year. Another thing it made me think of was the tree in the middle of the Seven Mile Bridge. Plants are awesome. #keepthekeysgreen
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