The path I run on takes me along a dirt road near the base's perimeter fence. All around is low shrubby vegetation, a bunny rabbit or two, and over there <--------------is Mexico. It's pretty. Very pretty. Browns, yellows, and a smattering of evergreen make up most of the color palette.
And then there's this. The purple lantana.
This lantana is the first thing to grow after a short, dry, and cold winter. It pops out of the plowed dirt road and blooms into this most gorgeous deep violet color.
When the air is clear and not thick with Mexico smog, the vibrancy of this wildflower literally halts me in my tracks.
What I love is the poetry of this plant. The juxtaposition of it all.
Here's a gorgeous bloom of vibrant purple color in the middle of a white, brown, and gray landscape.
A small oasis of nature in the middle of a paved and rutted dirt road.
A small patch of nature's beauty directly next to a man-made chain-link fence.
Here's a piece of beauty inviting you in for a closer look, next to this same fence topped with barbed wire that obviously means "STAY AWAY".
See? It's all so poetic and deep!
Or maybe it's the runner's high.
