Garden of Sticks and Flags

Recently, while wandering through Houston's Museum District on a gorgeous spring afternoon, I happened upon one of those stick and flag gardens of myth and fable. File under: occasions you hear about but never think will happen to you.

My hands trembled with excitement as I removed my camera from my backpack and then took a few calming yoga breaths to calm my hands. I'm not some blurry Bigfoot photographer. I needed some clear pictures.

Really, would you ever believe me if I didn't have clear photos?

Enjoy this rare and fascinating sight. Observations and speculations are contained in the captions below.

You will see this is not a cultivated patch of sticks and flags as there is no discernible pattern to the placement. No this is not the handiwork of some landscaper, but a true, wild patch of sticks and flags.

An eye-catching detail about the sticks is that they tend to grow to a relatively uniform height. I did not have a measuring tape, but I would say more than 18 inches, less than two feet. You may observe, next to one stick, something at about half the height of the others. Upon closer inspection it appears that a stray pipe seed found it's way into this patch.

One might be led to believe that the flags were planted with more care, but there are flags throughout the field. Perhaps flags simply flourish best along concrete edging.

A closeup of one of the concrete edging flags. Look closely and you will see another down the way. They also seem to have weak stems as most have a slight lean in one direction or another. 

A blue flag. This field had only red, green, and blue flags. I understand they can come in many colors. Also, they, like many rare species, have had to turn to corporate sponsorship for survival.

A leaning green flag. Makes one wonder if there were once yellow flags in this field which cross-pollinated with a blue flag.

I hope you have enjoyed my little photo essay on this rare and exciting find. As you can see, it's a little bit like finding Shangri-La. Your envy is noted and completely understandable.