this flower is commonly called a red hot fire poker in New Zealand. stems shoot out from within draping green foliage.

it is one of my favourite NZ plants.

when we moved into our little cottage, i was pleased to see one in the gardens.

inside the foliage of this beautiful plant lives a colony of snails.

by now you have probably guessed that i am not a seasoned gardener.

as i found these tiny little creatures fascinating.

emerging from inside their portable homes, to enjoy the sunlight…

or so i thought!

even though they are considered a garden pest, i delighted in photographing their journeys inside my plant that day.

since many of my blogs deal with the things we find inside the heart, i compared how i looked at these creatures as adorable, harmless little beings. the truth is that they are not harmless if i want my plant to flourish and grow. in the same way, we can allow things to co-exist deep inside our hearts that seems harmless; have been there for a long time and we’ve grown used to their presence; or might even appear to be adorable at first glance but allowing them to remain there, inside of our hearts, will prevent growth. they might cause damage even if it is ever so slightly at first.

i suppose i will have to address the gardening issue but for today, these little creatures are a part of my submission for The Weekly Photo Challenge.

Enjoy.

D