Anthea, the Big Nosed Anthurium

Anthea, the Big Nosed Anthurium

Story & Photos by Constance Kelly

This book is dedicated to Mother Nature who has given us all these beautiful flowers to decorate our earth.

(Anthea is from the Greek for flower like,)

In a beautiful part of Long Island, there was a lovely arboretum. Every day, many people from all over the world visited the arboretum.

When visitors came, they could see all kinds of exotic plants. flowers and foliage. Even the insects and birds would be amazed at what they saw.

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In the middle of the arboretum, there was a room filled with anthuriums of various colors. Anthea, a dark pink anthurium, sadly sat and watched the visitors.

Every day, Anthea would watch as the visitors admired the hibiscus and the dahlias, Then there were the orchids. Oh, what a fuss the visitors made over the orchids!

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One day, Anthea told her mom how she felt. Her mom, a scarlet colored anthurium, asked her why she felt the other flowers were prettier. She told her mom she thought it was because they did not have a big nose like her. "Silly", laughed her mom, "that's not a nose, that is called a stigma".

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Anthea told her mom how the lovely and colorful hummingbirds always went to visit the hibiscus flowers.

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Anthea also told her mom how the buzzing bees were always talking to the dahlias.

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Anthea had to tell her mom one more thing. "Mom", she cried, "all the people fuss over the orchids all the time. They don't have a big nose like me, or a stigma or whatever you called it". "Anthea, dear", her mom replied, "all flowers have the same parts".

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Just as Anthea was comparing and complaining, a beautiful blue butterfly landed on Anthea's "nose". She was delighted that the butterfly picked her out of all the other exotic flowers. Her mom smiled. "Anthea", she exclaimed, "you must be very special to have a butterfly land on you". Anthea giggled. She had made a new friend.

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Credits

http://www.picnik.com/

http://www.girlnames.com/

http://www.plantingfields.org/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com

http://www.floralacres.com/encyclopedia/a.htm

http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/qca/flowerparts.html

Photos were taken at the Planting Fields in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

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