Emergence: An Ant's Eye View, Part I

It has just begun to warm up in the rainforest garden and the elephants ears line up like soldiers to face the day and embrace the sunshine.  Here is an intimate view of spring recovery from the ground level.  To me, this is the exciting part of growing tropicals outdoors through the winter, entertaining the idea that life is persistent enough to come back stronger because of the challenges it has faced.  The next time I take photos of these plants they'll be so full that you wouldn't know they were ever frozen back, so these pictures are important to me since they capture that ephemeral feeling of hope for a gardener.  Its as if just by picturing the potential in something that looks so stark and hopeless, just by believing, new life will emerge to fill the desolation.

Chartreuse colocasia pushing out of the pine needles alongside germinating maple seedlings in a fierce competition for the light. If allowed to grow, the maples would win.  That's not going to happen though.

A behemoth awakens from it's slumber, shedding the skin of winter's death and emerging anew.

Pineapple lily, or eucomis, has started to show it's purple foliage to the sun, shoving through the dry bulbs of dormancy.

It won't be long before the rainforest garden regains it's composure and brims with exuberance all over again.

PS.  I'll be heading to the Miami area in the next few days, so rest assured that I'll have fun stuff to share with you guys.  Its gonna be fun!

PPS.  The poll for most tropical looking plant has closed, with Banana and Plumeria tying for the gold, Orchids in second place, and the Heliconias grudgingly accept the bronze medal.  Lets hear it for Plumeria and B-A-N-A-N-A-S this ____ is bananas!  (You know, from the song Holla back girl?)