brown 3

The golden fall flower heads of chamisa (Ericameria nauseosus) have turned to light tan for the winter. They are the largest component of the brown landscape of the neighborhood in which I live. Although the tan is not as eye-catching as the gold, with the fading of the flowers there is also the fading of the smell. Although I am usually amused by the foul smells of some flowers (I still stick my nose into Stapelia flowers, for instance), this one is difficult for me to bear, mostly because of the enormous volume of odor, and because unlike Stapelia, the odor carries. This one has been likened to sweaty gym socks, public toilet, and cat urine. Even dried flower parts, fallen to the ground, exude the smell, particularly when moistened by rain or irrigation. It is strange that the flowers don't seem to attract flies for pollination, but butterflies, who rely on visual cues rather than olfactory ones. The odor prevents me from appreciating the flowers up-close for very long, but I can appreciate the starry seed heads in detail for as long as I wish. The tan-on-grey of the plants from a distance is, to me, the quintessential look of New Mexico.