My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
That's interesting and naughty, Dorothy. :-) How do you recognize the eggs?
ReplyDeleteThey are tiny and usually buried in mulch or leaf litter and I can't say that I've ever actually seen one. The female deposits one egg in each "nest" and sometimes deposits these eggs over several months' time. These are fascinating creatures, among my backyard favorites.
DeleteIf we ever think about the fact that the flowers we love to see contain parts of a plant's reproductive system - well then, I am in my backyard, reading your blog, just surrounded by all kinds of flower porn, shamelessly on display!
ReplyDeleteThat's my kind of porn. The garden is a very sexy place!
DeleteSuch behaviour! Right out where anyone can see! Tsk tsk tsk... Gotta love nature :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's always interesting.
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