Sacred Datura

While on my morning walk a Datura plant presented itself in my path. Just a few days earlier I had dug out an old Canon PowerShot G10 camera that I had bought new but hadn't used in probably 10 years. I charged the battery and was pleased to see that it seemed to work fine. Monday, May 13, I started taking it on my morning walks, so I had it with me this day, when I discovered the Datura. I would probably have never noticed it, except for the distinct bell flower, which I spotted from a distance and immediately recognized. Thus begins my personal journey with a Datura plant...

I eagerly returned to the Datura this morning to commune and take more photos. I'm actually writing this some time after the date, and I am kind of confused by these photos. From what I have learned about Daturas, the blooms only last one day, then wilt and rapidly decay. But this looks like the same stalk is still blooming. I would soon start paying close attention to the blooming habits of Datura, but at this point I wasn't. A also notice more Datura clumps, they are all over the place out here. Be sure to check the photo dump for more from today's session.

Again, I am writing this entry at a later date. As you can see, here and in the photo dump, the flower has wilted. You can also see buds on the plant. If you open the second photo in the dump, you can see a bud has erupted into a stalk. I don't know if I had noticed the buds at this early date, and these photos have been valuable for documenting the growth phases of the plant. I also noticed other clumps of Datura, also shown in the dump.

Not a lot to report today, further wilting of the flower from the 16th. I met a little fellow on the road and began photographing interesting plants to find out what they are (see photo dump). I've never been interested in plants before (besides Cannabis, ha ha) but since I discovered the Datura I've taken a keen interest in the local wild flora.

Further deterioration of the flower from the 16th. But photos of buds and a spiral stalk. At this point I hadn't figured out the blooming process for this Datura, and it would be several days before I would, but I was aware of changes in the plant. Also: another wee beastie.

No walk today due to inclement weather, so no photo dump. But here is a pic of my friend's cat.

I returned to Dat (as I have been calling the plant) and discoverd a wilting flower, which means I missed a new bloom yesterday. But during my day away I felt the call of the Datura plant, my first inkling that I was developing a spiritual connection with it. This was when I realized that what I have been calling "the plant" was actually a cluster of two plants. Going forward I will refer to Dat as "the OG cluster", the larger plant as the primary, and the smaller plant as the secondary. Also this is when I began noticing and documenting the many Datura clumps in the area; see photo dump.

Only one photo of interest today, showing a further wilted flower, and a more developed spiral stalk. Prediction: a new flower tomorrow. Also visible are two buds on the secondary plant.

A new bloom on the OG primary. Buds are visible on both the primary and secondary. At this point I wished I had documented things as I went instead of trying to reconstruct events from memory, but this is a record of a spiritual journey, not a scientific or historical document, so the photos speak for themselves. But I do have online chats with friends about the plants. At this point I thought the buds and spiral stalks were separate, and that the blooms erupted from the buds, but a friend who is into raising plants pointed out that the buds erupted into the spiral stalks, which then flowered. Going back through previous day's photos I saw she was exactly right. So, thank you for that, Paloma!

Wilting of yesterday's flower, and, with my newfound understanding of the flowering cycle, documentation of buds on the OG primary and secondary. Also, a random shot of another cluster with a nice blossom.

Further deterioration of the May 23 flower; buds evolving; another cluster.

Further deterioration of the May 23 flower; the upper right bud looks like it may be starting to erupt; buds on the OG secondary.