There’s an episode of Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild in which Bear Grylls is dropped in to the Amazon to wander through the rainforest to civilization. At one point, he pauses, struck by the beauty of a purple flower hidden in the foliage. He reflects:
Nobody’s ever going to see that flower. That’s God’s extravagance. Even though no one’s ever going to see it, he just can’t help but create something beautiful.
Now I’m not a religious man, but y’on’t have to be to appreciate what he’s saying. I get from it just a reverence for nature, regardless of who or what created it – that things of great beauty and complexity go in and out of existence regardless of us, and it’s special to get to witness them.
The flower of the maypop, Passiflora incarnata
I always think of this quote when maypop season comes around, because not only does its flower rival prized orchids in beauty and intricacy, but it also has a hidden-in-plain-sight secrecy to it: it is found not in well-tended gardens and climate-controlled greenhouses, but rather amongst thorns, weeds, poison ivy, and in the case of this particular flower, along the North Druid Hills interstate access road.
The maypop fruit
The maypop is the North American relative of the passionfruit, and bears fruit similar to its southern cousin, with the edible portion surrounding the numerous seeds inside of the actual fruit, similar to a pomegranate. The name “maypop” refers to the fact that many of the fruits develop without seeds, and are filled only with a pocket of air that pops when trampled under foot. Of all the maypops I’ve ever seen in Atlanta, none have been edible, and I’m very curious to know what it’s like. So keep your eyes out…they’re growing right now and they’re a real diamond in the rough of Atlanta’s roadside bramble.
Tags: maypop, sideoftheroad
