God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December. ~ J. M. Barrie
Norfolk Botanical Gardens Rose Garden
Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;” however, psychologists have found this is not true, that words impact the way we percieve the world. Understanding the science of roses, how they are made of carbon pulled from the air, that they are often grafted onto the roots of hardier species to survive the outdoors, and how they pull energy directly from the sun, makes them all the more lovely to admire.
It reminds me of this Feynman quote:
The World looks so different after learning science.
For example, trees are made of air, primarily. When they are burned, they go back to air, and in the flaming heat is released the flaming heat of the sun which was bound in to convert the air into tree. [A]nd in the ash is the small remnant part which did not come from air, that came from the solid earth, instead.
These are beautiful things, and the content of science is wonderfully full of them. They are very inspiring, and they can be used to inspire others.
Check out the complete flickr set here.