Albuca flaccida doing its best

This Albuca flaccida plant did not manage the same lush growth normally present on plants in deep sandy soil after ample rain. It was found in an exposed, wind-swept spot at Vermont in September in dry, hot conditions. 

Once the ripe seeds are dispersed, the plant will morph into summer dormant mode, losing scape, leaves and even roots. While in rest, life is carried by the bulb alone, awaiting the trigger of temperature drop in winter. The response, coincident with the arrival of rain, represents life, the most ubiquitous and undervalued miracle the earth is capable of. 

The full cycle of growth and production output is repeated by a plant in each season during which conditions aligned with the needs of the species are presented. In poor seasons survival may be the best that can be done. Still, each annual performance is a rendition of best effort under the circumstances, given the genetic potential and external resources (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).