The Dreaming State

Today I got some really sad news… Months ago I fell in love with a plant at the beach. I drove by it multiple times per day, multiple days per week, and it brought me such joy and wonder. I watched it grow, flower, but then today I drove by to find it split in half.

The Agave Americana is an aloe-like cactus-looking plant with what seem to be alien tentacles sticking out in every direction. It is more commonly called the “Century Plant” for a really interesting reason. After about 10 to 30 years, the plant quickly sprouts a long stalk into the air. It looks like a comical gigantic 25-foot piece of asparagus (yum, asparagus). This then opens up at the top with hundreds of little yellow flowers. A really beautiful arrangement.

The crazy part is that this is now the end of it’s life. The plant waits 10, 20, 30 years then quickly sends up its flowers, only to then die… I waited months watching this beautiful plant. I planned to photograph it once all the flowers bloomed. It was getting so close, maybe just a few more days – but then we had a big storm. The storm ended this plants life before it could flower and end itself.

This image shows just eight days at Folly Beach, SC. Each day I can fill one bucket, or more. As you would expect, a lot of the trash is just ignorant people tossing a cig on the ground, leaving fast food beside the car, or throwing an empty beer into the bushes. However, I also believe that much of it is accidental. The wind takes a wrapper away, a child opens candy or rips the tag off a new toy. I get it, but it all adds up.

How can we do better? I honestly don’t know. We cannot close off the beach. We need public access to the beach. That’s important. We also cannot just make higher fines because this is a quiet crime that no police officer will notice, or maybe care to pursue… I believe much of the issue here (and which much of our country’s downfalls) can be solved with better education and outreach. We need to better educate people on the environment, the amazing creatures on the land and in the sea, and the importance of doing our part for a better future… We need to do better.