"Night-Blooms" ...... they can be found everywhere in the city, growing wild in old lots, abandoned gardens, around building foundations, and even sprouting out of cracks in the sidewalk and asphalt. They are often over looked, like the shadows and the echoes of the ghosts and spirits of the urban past. Each one here reminds me of, or represents the many different and colorful characters from my book-blog "Acting Out in Manhattan". They are especially enchanting and mystical (also like the charcters from "Acting Out ......"), when seen late in the night by Moon or street-lamp light and they all symbolize something different.
"Pretty-Poison" The beautiful but deadly flower of one of the worlds most dangerous plants, the "Angels-Trumpet". Datura symbolizes "deceitful charms" .
Belladonna cousin Bittersweet Night-shade is a toxic feral botanical that represents falsehood and insincerity. It can be found creeping up fences, walls and other host plants.
Clethra or Summersweet looks like a Ghost-plant, that stands stiff in the city night.
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| Waxy clusters of putrid smelling Privet blossoms, that represent prohibition and prophecy. |
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| Beautiful and lustrous Lilac flowers, symbolize the first emotions of love. |
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| Luminous Autumn Asters, still lush and blossoming after several heavy frosts, stir emotions of remembrance and after-thought. |
Sunburst spike that glows in the city night. The famous Golden-rod from our youths, of countryside roads and powerlines which oddly symbolizes both encouragement and precaution.
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| The Black Nightshade shown above, is another toxic and deadly cousin of the infamous Belladonna. It can be found throughout the city, sprouting out of sidewalk cracks and waste soil by parking lots and side streets. It also symbolizes falsehood and nightmares like other Solanums. |
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| Echinachea or Purple Cone Flower, symbolize strength and immunity. |
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Wild Evening Primrose is another feral plant that has taken to the city. Like small cups of Moonbeams it glows in the urban night. The Primrose symbolizes inconstancy and fickleness.
Twin blossoms of Ipomoea, or Moon-Flower, a nocturnal blooming vine that I found growing up over an abandoned building, The large, flat, palm sized flowers are snow white and intoxicating. The seeds are hallucinogenic but can also be toxic. It is also known as Moon vine, indicative of the flowers which symbolize the Moon and its effects on dreams and love.
The city seems to be a virtual apothecary of medicinal flowers and plants growing as weeds from every nook and cranny of cement and pavement. Albeit many are toxic and deadly poison, (also like many of the characters from "Acting Out in Manhattan"), when not used properly.
Copyright @ 2015 All Photographs and captions by Fritz Von Ludwigslust. All Rights Reserved. |
