the barn in fall

the barn in fall

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Mayapples and Research

Rain overnight here, rain in the forecast today, rain tomorrow, rain the next day - time to get out the umbrellas.  Which is exactly what nature has done:
This forest of little umbrellas popped up almost overnight.  They're mayapples, and grow in the heavily-shaded area by our road.  Some have one stem with what is essentially one big leaf.  Some have a forked stem which will have little white flowers that turn into green poisonous seed pods, that turn into little yellow tasty (so I'm told) fruits.


No, I'm not the go-to nature lady.  I looked it all up.  That's what we writers do.  For my books I've researched dozens of wide-ranging topics, from fossilized trilobites to the snocats used to groom ski slopes - both appearing in my next book, SILVER SPARKS.  Shameless advance plug!  For past books I've had to research uranium mines, guns, and explosives, which probably means I'm on some Homeland Security watch list, keeping the country safe from terrorists and writers.  Most recently I've looked up sodium vapor lights and procedures for closing down a restaurant for health violations.  A few more books and I'll be a walking encyclopedia.

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