Weeds Or Wildflowers?

Hello, warm greetings to you.

Welcome to my blog and to PhotoFeed Contest Macro-Photography Round 118. I've got beautiful shots to share with you, I bet you'll love them.

Overtime, I've come to realize that certain weeds can be mistaken for flowers or plants due to their similar appearance. For instance, this weed can easily pass as mini sunflower. It's bright yellow flowers are just similar to that of sunflowers, except for the difference in size.

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I checked online for the name but could only find something like "False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)." I'm not sure if that's what they're called.

I doubt if anyone who stumbles upon them in the field for the first time wouldn't think they're sunflowers, especially if such person hasn't seen sunflowers before.

I often marvel at how nature creates such similarities. Like, what purpose exactly did it intend by creating such? Who knows, it might be to create a vivid illustration of this verse of the Bible "while men slept, the enemy came in and sowed tares" — (Mathew 13:25). If this isn't the reason, what then is? Maybe someone knowledgeable could help solve this mystery.

Random thought there, bear with me.
But I think this makes a whole lot of sense. Don't you?

Moving ahead, I captured these sunflower-like weeds around my neighborhood. While coming back from Mass this morning, I caught sight of the flowers swaying to the gentle rhythm of the cool breeze, their bright yellow petals, evoking the warmth and brightness of the sun rays.

Although as weeds, their presence can be unwanted as they more than likely constitute a nuisance in gardens, farmlands, landscapes and the ecosystem. However, they can be quite beneficial too - in the area of soil stability, soil erosion prevention and providing medicinal properties, amongst others.

Moreover, they can add to the aesthetic of an environment, especially those lacking in floral beautification, just like my neighborhood.

More so, their presence attract insects like grasshoppers, dragonflies including the butterflies which play a vital role in ecosystems and food production. Without them, I wouldn't get to enjoy the presence of these lovely creatures. I'm grateful to see them thriving here, unlike in places where they're no longer seen.

You can see these ones already have a visitor.

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For me, these sunflower-like weeds are more than weeds. They add color, beauty and value to our ecosystem.

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Thank you for reading. I hope you liked the images.

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Author's Photos, Captured With Infinix Hot 10i - 13M Dual Camera
Location: Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

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Posted Using INLEO