Sunday, May 29, 2011

WHOSE THE MOSS?

by "Madame X", Head Curator of the M.S.Co. MVSEVM
of Natural and Artificial History
:
sea horse shadow box
(photo by Erkuden Sakana)

Today on the Company agenda, the preparation of new exhibits for the M.S.Co. MVSEVM of Natural and Artificial History.

Laurel and Hardy
(photo by Heywood McGillicuddy)

One of the benefits of having a greater number of misanthropes abstain from this year's tour has been the ability to not just to keep the MVSEVM open and running through the Summer months, but also to develop and advance the MVSEVM's programming and exhibits.

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ball moss
(photo by Cottonwood Fields)

Also in MVSEVM news, the Austin expedition has yielded a treasure trove of indigenous epiphytic air plants. Known locally as ball moss, tillandsia recurvata is a member of the bromilliad family, and close relative of Spanish moss. Despite its moniker, it is not a moss but a flowering plant.

ball moss
(photo by Reverend Aitor)

The stuff literally grows on trees in central Texas, affixing itself to the shaded interior branches and drawing all of its nutrients from the moisture in the air trough their leaves and stems, rather than from soil, or the trees themselves. Their roots serve only to anchor them in place.

Ball moss has an unfortunate reputation among many of the locals. They are erroneously thought to be parasitic, damaging the trees they grow on. Commonly regarded as an unsightly pest, nobody objected to the misanthropes coming onto their property and climbing their trees to fill shopping bag after shopping bag of ball moss. One elderly homeowner even thanked the team, going as far as to bring out a pitcher of sweet tea and offering the Company five dollars for their troubles.

ball moss shipment
(photo by T-Bone)

Headquarters eagerly anticipates the shipment of what T-Bone insists on referring to as "a mean case of ball moss."
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THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of illustration initiated: 18
Number completed: 8
Number inducted: 3
Carried over to next week: 3

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1 comment:

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