Surviving The Ash (9-20-02 UPDATE)

[DeeVee]

Nature is amazing :ex: During my last visit to Montserrat I was taken by the ability of some plants to survive the constant ashings and bloom profusely. Some of the outstanding flowering plants were the Oleanda, Hibiscus and the Poinciana. Of course grasses of different species were growing amongst the Pyroclastic flows.
This is doodle to try out a new palm frond I did, and also to create the image of some of the ash survivors.
The animals also found where the most lush grass was in the restricted area.
DeeVee,
Joe. http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1032492349ako.jpg

[ed_the_atom]

Wow colourful.......best looking sky I've seen in a while.

Almost pointalism....cept the sky...
Interesting Joe. :tu:

[Ron Harris]

very very pretty Joe....its a shame we can't smell the flowers in the pic...I bet with all that lush growth it is very fragrant? I have never been in an area like that so I would have no idea....or is it musty and damp? Just curious....The only fragrance around here are the roses and the honeysuckle when its in bloom....other than that lost of dust and ragweed ... :(

[DeeVee]

Thanks Ron,and ETA.Believe me it is extreamely dry, but they manage to survive somehow. At this spot there was a pond behind the trees on the right, so that might have provided some moisture. As far as smell goes these flowers are not the most fragrant types, pretty yes.
I would have thought that the sent of Sulphur would have been very evident in the air, but it was not.
As a kid we never wore silver because the sulphur would turn it black in nothing flat. Our good silverware were kept in blue lined boxes, why blue? I have been trying to find out for more than 50 years, Maybe the SC man can help out here! Our job was to clean the brass and the silver every Saturday before we could go out and play. We used wood ash and lime to clean of the tarnish, and then Silvo or Braso to put on the shine. :) :)

[Stonecutter]

Well Joe, first I really like your image, especially the way you did the sky, and the contrast with the ground textures...As a sidelight, I could see the plants prospering easily, because that volcanic ash is almost pure fertilizer...Related to basic potash...They actually sell it up here as fertilizer in little boxes... :)

And silversmiths do use an anti-tarnish cloth for the final buff on the metal, and now that you mention it, it is usually blue...Personally I polish silver with Tin Oxide or Linde A, so that when I wash the piece in soapy water, and dry it with a soft cloth it doesn't leave a residue, and also removes any firescale that might have been left by soldering... ;)

[DeeVee]

Thanks SC. Why do they store silver in blue?
I use the same things as you do, but I am speaking of over 50 years ago. Our silvo and Braso which came from England, on the Harrison Line had to last a long time. so we had to use something else to remove the tarnish.
That volcanic ash is very alkaline SC, a friend of mine and I tested it for Ph. and it is off the scale, we were thinking of using it in Hydroponics. I think what they sell must be mixed with something else to reduce the Ph.
Funny palms do not survive the ash very well, most of them have been killed. Aparently the ash gets down in the heart of the palm and just stays there as rain cannot wash it off, as it can with other plants, consequently, it acts like Potassium Hydroxide which is also very alkaline and corosive and kills the plants. The effect of the ash was evident on the galvanize roofs, the new ones are completely eaten through, those from 50 years or more are still very good. Asphalt shingles stand up well, but the nails which hold them down are coroded away so when the wind blows they just blow right off the roofs. It is a mess, there is no doubt about that one.
DeeVee.
Joe

[Stonecutter]

So that ash that flows over Plymouth must be eating everything then huh? They probably do use some kind of filler in what they sell here, but it's a fairly common fertilizer for houseplants up here...Simone used to use it on this lime tree we had in a huge planter we had in our living room when we owned our house...We left the planter and tree when we came back from the Bahamas, and decided to sell our house, and move onto a boat, after sailing down there...(We actually sold it in two weeks flat, and even left the pots and pans, as well as furniture and carpets...)I built the planter out of two by four lumber, it was about 3 feet square, and was too heavy to move containing enough soil to support a six-foot tree...We left a furnished house when we moved onto the boat, and I know that tree was sure thriving, even indoors... ;)

As far as the blue cloth for storage of silver, as I said, the anti-tarnish cloths are usually blue, but esthetically that colour would also serve to make silver look a lot brighter...That might be the reason for using blue. :)

[DeeVee]

Great! I will send you a few more shots of what some of the houses that are not completely covered look like. Some of that ash is so fine it gets into everything. One of the items we were able to use for hydroponics was the large anount of pumice that the volcano blows out. It sometimes falls on Antigua 27 miles away, and the street venders do a nice trade selling it to ladies for rubbing their soles, elbows and so on. :D :D :D
Edit: The old wife's tale about blue is that it blocks out certain gamma rays which speed the tarnishing of silver. However, that is what the old folks thought :D

[DeeVee]

This is a small update. I just could not stop fiddling, so I added a few more palm fronds, and the Queen Of The Forest, the Flamboyant tree, which is one of the species that appear to be doing well.
DeeVee,
Joe. http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1032560715olx.jpg

[DLee]

I like the second one, DeeVee. With the rich colors upfront it gives a little more depth. Very nice. And of course your sky is perfect ~s~

[Ron Harris]

extremely nice update Joe. It is great that the flora is thriving there. Ash is very fertile for the surviving ground too? or have I got my wires crossed again?
:tu: :tu: :D

[Mahlikus The Black]

Its a great update. I really lke the foliage here...its like a dream. Everything looks awesome. Flowers kick but too! :D

[DeeVee]

Thanks for the comments on the update, I am sorry for taking so long to reply but I got side tracked.
I am pleased that some of you find these volcano images interesting enough to comment one way or the other. My only fear is that I go overboard with the volcano cycle for too long, so I have branched out into other directions. Once more thanks.
DeeVee,
Joe