Owls

I came to learn about two types of flower this week. Tulip and jasmine.

One of them is my wife's favorite and another one my daughter. One closes its petals shut at night, another blooms at night.

Day-blooming tulips need daytime pollinators because their pollen is best transferred when dry. In essense, tulips shut the door at the first sign of rain or darkness to maximise the best chance of seeding.

Night-blooming jasmine, on the other hand, has learned to open their petals at night because they are pollinated by nocturnal moths. To attract and be easily seen by moths at night, jasmine flowers tend to be white in colour.

It's hard not to be fascinated by their setting routine to bring out their strengths. The same is true of humans, who have different natural body clocks. What works great for morning larks won't do good to night owls. And vice versa. My daughter, Jasmine, is a night-blooming one who can come up with at least ten probable reasons not to go to bed. Reading Raina Telgemeier's graphic novel, enjoying story of Percy Jackson, cheese feast, writing diary are prime examples.