‘BOARDWALK THROUGH THE CATTAILS’ | Hoeft Marsh, Green Bottom, WV | thestoryisthething.substack.com photo | june2024
by douglas john imbrogno | june29.2024 | subscribe at: thestoryisthething.substack.com
Nature calls. Not that kind of call. The one to come and see: ‘Look how much we’re growing!’ Your interlocutor needs the fix since he just self-inflicted upon his being a grievous bunch of neurotic drama, from which, to be sure, he will be hewing close to the shoreline for a while. Yet, still, he is solid enough — now — to head for the sacred wetlands and green-glow woodlands. To steer himself to the regular wander-grounds where he goes to wrap a thick shawl of Nature around his shoulders, when those shoulders are upright enough to receive this blessing.
And to see where they stand, right now, all of those growing, spreading, vining, blossoming-forth things, this late in the deepest part of June out in Hoeft Marsh in Green Bottom, W.Va. In this daunting time of our fateful, make-or-break-America election year — a do-or-maybe-die inflection point for this still young Republic of ours. Maybe you, like me, might welcome a visit with bumblebees, teasels, and blackberries in bloom.
![Two photos of blackberries in bloom](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F879dfac0-cb9a-4b0c-9949-afc2ec155ee9_1280x960.jpeg)
![Two photos of blackberries in bloom](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F404215bc-59cb-4ce2-8537-6f0bb233a1d9_1280x960.jpeg)
‘BERRY GOOD’ | The blackberry I tried — one of the purplest ones — was not half-bad for wetland produce. | Hoeft Marsh, Green Bottom, WV | thestoryisthething.substack.com photo | june2024
I am happy to report the blackberries are bursting forth, although they were mostly the reddest of berries at the moment of my looking. The berries score the woods with streaks and dashes of bright color, as if the spirit of Jackson Pollock whizzed by last week, yet only had coffee cans of candy-red and concord grape to splash amid the trees and bushes of the Hoeft Marsh wonderland.
‘PARTY FAVOR’ | A teasel all dressed up and raring to go. | Hoeft Marsh, Green Bottom, WV | thestoryisthething.substack.com photo | june2024
It is also good to find this punk-rocker (above) hanging out in the Greenbottom lowlands, ready for a concert by the late, lamented Clash or less-lamented Sex Pistols, with its spikey hair-do and purple headband. This is actually a rather fun-named teasel (genus Dipsacus), a plant sometimes grown as an ornamental or bird-magnet, while its dried flowerheads are used in floral arrangements. On close inspection (see the 1-minute below) some bumblebees were having a grand time dropping by the teasel shindig. (I added some cattails for variety out along the boardwalk.)
CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO
Nature’s tangles can be instructive. Because they are not tangles at all, but layers upon layers of order and synchronized growth. The growth is hard to see and separate out sometimes. That is why we must make multiple visits to the scene. And visits to a wondrous wetland can help with our own self-made tangles. Because one seeming tangle can help untangle another, revealing life in all its multifarious, mysterioso complexity and interbeing. Just doing its thing.
Thank our lucky stars.
‘GALLERY OF GROWTH’ | Hoeft Marsh, Green Bottom, WV | thestoryisthething.substack.com photo | june2024
![Shots of Hoeft Marsh in Greenbottom WV](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1e4c948-1732-49dc-9c41-b7289bad9044_1280x960.jpeg)
![Shots of Hoeft Marsh in Greenbottom WV](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92e22726-9506-4d49-bd09-f5e159c2ffb9_1280x960.jpeg)
![Shots of Hoeft Marsh in Greenbottom WV](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F760b00ab-d063-4faf-b638-96e2d9171317_1280x960.jpeg)
![Shots of Hoeft Marsh in Greenbottom WV](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26fd61d0-8c4a-424c-a80b-f69e9a3cb963_1280x960.jpeg)
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER RIGHT: 1) Not a tangle, but an interaction. | 2) All I see is baby hard-boiled eggs. | 3) Study of a snarled psyche & the path. | 4) When seriously in doubt, get your head together via awareness — and find the bird in the blue sky.
P.S.
‘MEANDER THIS WAY’ | Hoeft Marsh, Green Bottom, WV | thestoryisthething.substack.com photo | june2024
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Just what I needed for today, with too many debate/election thoughts swirling around in my brain. We've got balckberries coming out all over the place here.. You make me want to take a walk -- so I will! Bye!
Doug, thank you for soothing my jumbled brain today - your words and your images often serve that purpose! Nice.