Nature in Flux
"If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories, and crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh, well, there it is."
- Ian Malcom (Jurassic Park)
It has always struck me that no mater how hard we try to tame the natural world, by building barriers to keep nature at bay, it has a way of reclaiming these artificial structures. Quietly, slowly and powerfully. I believe there is a real beauty to be found in this decay as nature reasserts itself. Over the years I have been drawn to create many images in an attempt to tell this tale. It is easy to miss since it so often unfolds at a pace disconnected from our own sense of time.
A few years ago, I visited the ruins of the Stoney-Barnyard plantation while in Hilton Head. Approaching the ruins, I was struck by the strength of the forest's presence. The heat and humidity, pulled the forest in close, while the light was diffused as it struggled to penetrate the dense canopy. In this image, one can sense the forest encroaching on the ruins. The tree stump, now an artifact, speaks to the feeble attempts to halt nature's progression. Yet its presence in the image serves to echo the slow decay of the structure.
One of the amazing things is how this is being carried out in various scales all around us every day. This image was taken at the Cincinnati Nature Center as the spring flowers started making their annual show. Here you see a celandine taking strong root in a small crack in a concrete wall. It is easy to sense the slow transforming reclamation taking place - a process measured in many of our generations!
While walking by a construction site in downtown Raleigh, NC, this image caught my eye. These downtown construction sites often offer a stark contrast to the parks and woodlands. Instead of lush vegetation and flowing creeks, the dirt is piled into unreal mounds, with machinery and debris scattered about. Yet on this day, walking along the perimeter of the site I found this lone wildflower. Growing along, climbing on, and winding through the construction fence, this trumpet flower was a reminder of nature's beauty and strength. It isn't hard to imagine given time, the fence succumbing completely to the natural life reasserting its ultimate claim around it.
The next time you are out walking, take a few moments to pause and look around. You will be greeted with a vision of nature pushing through the boundaries. Take time to appreciate the marvel and simple beauty of nature.