Old Plots

Some authors wittingly or unwittingly repeat versions of the same plots in different novels. This is definitely the case in Jane Austen novels, it seems to me. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ seems to have clear parallels with ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for example: two sisters seek husbands; one is led astray temporarily by a rake (Wickam and Willoughby, respectively), but eventually end up marrying an aloof but sound type (Colonel Brandon and Mr Darcy). Even in ‘Emma’, which has a very different plotline, there is once again an untrustworthy young man (Frank Churchill) contrasted with a more mature and sensible one (Mr. Knightly).
Another author who seems to show plot repetition is Henry James whose novels I have been reading recently. For example, in both ‘Portrait of a Lady’ and ‘The Bostonians’ there are Svengali-figures (Gilbert Osmond and Selah Tarrant respectively), both fathers to rather dreamy young girls (Pansy Osmond and Verena Tarrant). Key characters also include uptight young ladies with varying degrees of fondness for the dreamy girls (Isobel Archer – the ‘lady’ whose portrait is being depicted, and the Bostonian Olive Chancellor).
Though I’m not unhappy about anticipating genre, I do feel a little cheated when I detect a repeated plot - it is almost as if the author didn’t work hard enough to find something new for their readers to get their teeth into. I appreciate that authors such as Austen were constrained by the period and circumstances in which they lived, but there’s far less excuse for contemporary authors. Hence I was a little disappointed to discover that the plot of Sebastian Barry’s recent novel , ‘On Canaan’s Side’ (which admittedly I haven’t yet read) sounds as if it has a great deal in common with ‘Secret Scriptures’. I suppose there is justification, however, if an author is exploring further into a particular theme, or continuing a story, particularly if the end result is of high quality.

The Mysteries of Orange Buddleja

I have two orange-flowered Buddleja (or Buddleia - apparently the 'j' form is the more correct) bushes in my garden,  both of which started out as cuttings from an ‘escapee’ growing in local woodland. This variety, is, according to Wikipedia, a hybrid called  Buddleja × weyeriana, the result of a cross between B. globosa × B. davidii. The latter is the purple variety commonly found on waste ground etc, and I avoided it because of its  vigorous growth. But the orange version seems to have a down side – possibly more than one.
Firstly, though its flowers are often visited by bees and flies etc, it does not seem to be well-patronised by butterflies. This is reflected to some extent by a RHS study, though it appears to be the size of the bush and number of flower-heads that matter most to Lepidoptera rather than the species of Buddleja. However, it is known that butterflies and many other insects can detect uv light, and may be guided by it when it comes to choosing plants for food or egg-laying (though scent may be a stronger stimunlus). It may be that B. x weyeriani is not selected because it is a relatively poor reflector of uv light - different species/colours of Buddleja apparently vary quite considerably in this respect.
My two orange Buddleja bushes are planted in different positions - one free-growing in rather poor, slightly acid soil, and the other in a large pot filled with bedding compost. The free-growing bush is thriving and flowering, the pot-bound one is not, though I suspect not because it is pot-bound since the free-growing one was originally in a much smaller pot with poor soil yet did very well. It's obvious that Buddleja species generally do well on poor soil, so my nutrient-rich compost is probably responsible for the difference in growth, though I haven't worked out why (there would be a clear reason in the case of leguminous plants, for example). The pot-bound bush has a companion - a passion-fruit plant (Passiflora caerulea)- which brings me to the second mystery of  B. x weyeriani: the passion-fruit is barely growing at all. The solution is clearly to re-home one or both of them, but I am curious as to why the passion-flower, a healthy, well-rooted plant from a really vigorous parent (sadly, not in my garden!) has fared so badly. I have wondered whether root allelopathy may be to blame, with the Buddleja producing chemicals that inhibit the growth of the passion-flower, however I can find no reference to this online. The free-growing plant doesn not seem to have affected the Hydrangea and Crocosmia plants near it, but that may be because those species are more resistent, or perhaps because any allelotoxins produced drain away more easily. Some experimentation is needed!

Dust to Dust

The origins of dust are many, including the dead cells we human shed continuously. Bearing in mind the annoying accumulation of dust in my own home, it has crossed my mind that some people may shed more dead cells than others, or do so at different rates. Hence dust accumulation within a fairly closed envrionment, say a bedroom in winter, might be a reasonable measure of metabolic rate. But, also bearing in mind the annoying accumulation of dust, albeit less dust, in rooms in my house into which no-one, not even the dog, goes for weeks on end, there are clearly other,  more clandestine, origins of the wretched stuff. Do dust-mites manage to multiply on the most meagre biological remnants? Or is it their own death that I am witnessing when I notice - infrequently, I confess - yet another coating of dust on what should be pristine shelves?