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Friday 10 June 2016

Weird Stuff I've Seen Lately

The title says it all.

A fence post covered in green algae? moss? your guess is as good as mine, unless you're a botanist, in which case your guess is probably much better than mine. Aren't nature's colours lovely and varied? There must be hundreds of shades of green here in the spring, plus all the flower colours.



A three-eyed tree monster. Again, if you're a botanist, you probably know more about this than I do and have a fancy name for it. I'm open to your knowledge. 


Okay, these aren't weird. They're bright and cheerful, and really really hard to get rid of. It's a good thing I like them so much. The reason they are in this post about weird stuff is that they're growing up through the asphalt. I've always found it fascinating that tender plants have that kind of strength. There's a lesson in there somewhere.


For months, I drove past this every day, and smiled because I thought the power guys had left a raincoat on the wire by accident when they were out fixing the lines. I did think it was strange that they never came back for it.

Turns out the joke was on me. When I finally took a picture of it, and was able to zoom in closer with my camera, it was clear that this yellow plasticky thing wasn't a raincoat but some kind of weatherproofing doohickey that was put there on purpose. I don't know what it's called, and even the botanists out there probably can't identify it unless they're also familiar with the care and feeding of power lines. If you can enlighten me about it, I would appreciate that.

And finally, here's another foreign object on a wire. Looks like a piece of a branch that grew around the line, and it was easier to cut around it than to remove it completely when the tree was cut down. It really bothers me to see it hanging there, for some reason. Someday it will weather sufficiently and fall off. Until then, I suffer greatly.

A closer look.


How about you - have you seen any weird stuff lately? Do you feel drawn to photograph the weird stuff too?






12 comments:

Chicken said...

Hi PD, it bothers me, too. It's almost like in medieval times when rulers would leave bodies as a warning sign to those who might be thinking of stepping out of line. Stay in line you trees. Don't make me get my chainsaw.

Steve Reed said...

Well, as you know, I always photograph weird stuff!

It's amazing how trees can grow around foreign objects, like a wire, and basically engulf them. And yes, weeds growing through pavement -- I always find that an encouraging sight. I like that nature is so persistent and, in the end, always victorious.

I have no idea what that yellow thing is!

jenny_o said...

Yep, in your case, I already knew the answer to the question about photographing weird stuff :)

jenny_o said...

Hee hee! You made me laugh :)

dinthebeast said...

The yellow thing might be a weight to keep the wires from whipping around in the wind? I got nothing. I used to work for a tree service, and trimming around live wires is hard.
The green stuff is probably moss. Briana brought a chunk of moss back from out trip to Yosemite, and she's trying to keep it alive in a dish on the windowsill. She looked it up, and apparently it's an Acrocarpous, whatever that means. The life cycle of mosses are fascinating, even for a non-botanist like myself.
And I don't have a camera. We're still trying to get a picture of the cat sleeping in the bathroom sink to send in to the Internet Kitty of the Week page of the Professional Left Podcast, as we're sure she'll win. Maybe we can get John to do it with his iPhone...

-Doug in Oakland

jenny_o said...

Good thought on the yellow thing, Doug. I'll have to take note, as to whether it looks heavy, the next windy day we have. And now you've got me interested in mosses. Already bookmarked an article that looked fascinating, especially given that our back yard tends to be mossy to begin with. Good luck to Briana with her moss!

Geo. said...

I'll comment on dandelions in excellent photo #3. My favorite Cher Bono quote: "If grass can grow through pavement, love can find you at every time in your life."

Elephant's Child said...

I love weird stuff. The more the better. It is a lovely reminder that I am not alone.
And I find the left over bit of tree sad...

Mr. Shife said...

Nothing too weird to report but the weekend is only just beginning. I will keep my eyes open. I am more drawn to photograph funny stuff like someone's outrageous mullet, which I guess would be considered weird in some circles.

jenny_o said...

Great quote, Geo. I agree.

jenny_o said...

I love that way of looking at things, EC. Maybe that's why I like weird stuff, too.

jenny_o said...

Weird/funny ... pretty close in a lot of cases, I think!