The rumble of distant thunder announced the pending storm. Birds sought shelter as the dark clouds replaced the pale blue of the summer sky. Tree branches swayed as the wind twisted through the treetop canopy. The drum of the rain against leaves and plants increased as a crack of thunder followed on the heals of the first flash of lightning. Soon the thunderstorm unleashed its pounding fury, the wind and rain worked their seasonal mayhem. The daylily had enjoyed the morning sun opening to sunlight, all was well as the flower shift unfurled the petals. The workers traveled up the phloem with photosynthate from the roots, the wind began to cause the scape to sway. A supervisor directed the workers to the new buds as others left the opened flower, their job done, they were reassigned. The scape swayed more and more as the wind speed increased. On a status panel the supervisor watched as one meter went into the red, an alarm sounded. Workers were sent to check for weak parts in the stem. Shouts of “Here, Here.” The scape overseer rush to the effected area. Rain was now weighing the flower down, extreme stress was put on the outer cells of the scape. A loud sound echoed through the corridors as the scape finally succumbed to the extreme stress,WE”RE GOING DOWN!! WE”RE GOING DOWN!! BRACE FOR IMPACT!! The ride to the ground was short, workers grabbed anything they could. The scape landed with a thud as the rain continued to pound the garden. A crack of thunder ended the brief downpour. Damage control was soon on the scene directing Phloem assessment and repairs. Crews were mopping up photosynthetic, the sap, rich in sugars, was redirected to working routes. The sunshine was returning. The new bud at the end of the scape was still intact and would open on schedule. The supervisor wondered when the lunch cart would arrive as a worker handed her a clipboard with the phloem detour routes. Even with the scape lying on the ground the plant crews were meeting the challenge. Jerry
What a dramatic happening in your yard........I just hate it when that happens but they have learned to stand up to some pretty strong winds here...I wish all lilies would last longer, I hope you cut it shorter and brought it in the house to enjoy...pretty color