A platypus of the flower world!
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14 NIV
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I was younger, I often felt “different”. As a young adult, I was one of a handful of women who worked in law enforcement for federal land management agencies. I still remember being interviewed by a California TV station when I spent three weeks working on a couple major wildfires on the west coast…because a female firefighter was such a rarity at the time. Sometimes I thought of myself as a “platypus”, an animal who has so many odd attributes that it doesn’t neatly fit into any single category. When I was younger, that self-proclaimed “badge” often made me feel like I didn’t belong. Yet, as I’ve grown older, I now claim my “platypus” status with confidence and joy. I’m unique! Indeed, each one of us is a unique divine creation!
So, when I run across an unusual plant or animal, I always smile because it reminds me of God’s attention to detail and the sense of wonder that we can feel when we see “oddities” in nature. We each are unique and fill a niche in this world that NO ONE ELSE CAN!
So, today we will look at the relatively rare “Sierra Woodyfruit Evening Primrose”, a short plant that grows in rather harsh conditions where it is cold and snowy much of the year, then dry and hot due to high elevation sun and wind exposure in its gravelly home. This unusual flower opens between 7 to 9 pm on summer evenings and is pollinated by moths and nighttime insects. Its cheery yellow flowers may be seen in the evening and in morning, but sometime between the morning and afternoon, the flowers turn a pinkish red before wilting to stretch out on the hot dry ground below.
While most flowers bloom during the day with many blossoms that last for multiple days, the Sierra Woodyfruit Evening Primrose is different. Yet that uniqueness fills a niche in the world by providing nectar for nighttime moths and the beauty of the blossoming plant, that for a brief time, may have yellow and pink flowers at the same brief time.
So, if you feel that you are “different” than others, it’s okay. In fact, it’s not only okay, but it’s great! Celebrate the unique qualities that God has blessed you with, then take those qualities and bless others!
