Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz
A Protea heaven on earth - that is what fall is like in our flower fields here is Southern California. The colors, textures, size and form of the various Proteaceae harvested provide an array of gorgeous flowers and foliage to choose from. No wonder this family was named after the sea god Proteus in Greek mythology, who was the prophetic old man of the sea and shepherd of the sea's flock.
Proteus protected the seals of Poseidon on the island of Pharos, near the mouth of the Nile, and was able to adopt any shape he wished. He knew all things - past, present and future and disliked sharing his knowledge. If you wanted to consult him you had to surprise him during his siesta and tie him up. Even when caught, he would try to escape by assuming many different shapes. Even if you were able to trap Proteus, he would return to his original shape, answer your questions and plunge back into the sea.
An amazing sea god and an amazing family of flowers and foliage.
