with a little help

remember that storm we, in the twin cities, had a coupe weeks ago that dropped a 100 yr old oak on my roof? well, that same storm stirred up a lot of tree debris. and one of the benefits for me, is that things that are often out of reach for me are suddenly littering my walking paths. like these black pine pine-cones all from the same tree, and all in different states of opening. now, let’s be clear, this little win is in no way on par with the damage done by that oak tree on my roof. but, it’s better than nothing. and right now, that feels like something.

cones from the same austrian/black pine tree (pinus nigra)

a world of colorful baubles

summer has peeked and, believe it or not, many of us are already beginning our winter preparations: fruit is swelling, seeds are ripening, pinecones are bursting, and berries are maturing. steve and i have been freezing fruit for weeks, and we will start with tomatoes this week. for the plant world, the name of the game now is to maximize one’s chances for another growing season next year. for many (most?) plants this amounts to a “spray and pray” strategy of releasing as many seeds on the wind as possible. i love walking in the fields and woods this time of year. the countless strategies that have evolved over millions of years are in and of themselves interesting mathematical optimizations, but nerdiness aside, i also love the aesthetics of it all. a surprising number of plants have evolved to use color to attract assistants in getting their seeds spread. colorful berries attract birds and insects, and fattened fruits attract critters who eat the offering in exchange for transporting the seeds farther than gravity or wind would might allow. it all adds up to a wonderful world full of colorful baubles. one of these days i will carry a basket with me so i can show you the tremendous diversity in one short walk (you might be surprised that i don’t usually carry a gathering basket with me, but because i am always walking the dog, i generally like to have my hands free so i can manage him and his leash).

maple samaras in august

pink for the win

well, it’s official. i clearly have a preferred hydrangea color: blushing pink. it calls to me every time. the snowball whites are nice(ish), the pale blues are interesting in that there are so few blue flowers, and the purples and magentas look sort of wrong to me. but these pale pink ones get me every time, sigh.

p.s. welcome to awesome august.

hydrangea florets (hortensia)

the majestic great plains

and just like that, july winds down. minneapolis (where i am) sits right at the intersection of three bioregions: the american great plains to the south, the eastern hardwood forests to the east, and the evergreen boreal forests to the north. i love living here where we have access to such much biodiversity. these big bluestem prairie grasses grow to 10 feet tall. this particular bunch was about 8 feet tall. there is a lot of prairie restoration going on in my community and i believe bluegrass is usually included. this particular patch was beside the parking lot of my local grocery store, probably a unintended gift left by a bird. it is thrilling to see 3 meter tall grasses swaying together like waves on water.

tell me, what bioregion do you live in? if you are not sure, you can find out by going to One Earth as : https://www.oneearth.org/bioregions-2020/

big bluestem prairie grass (Andropogon gerardi)

going, going…gone

my husband will on occasion say, as he did today, “you pulled that photo out of your ass”. it’s a compliment. it means he’s impressed. he also has a strong preference for interesting photos, over pretty photos. so, i can only conclude that he finds this photo of mullein (in three different phases) interesting. as do i. we both have a soft spot for mullein–that sculptural sentry that stands so tall and proud along our roadsides of mostly mounded soft-leaved lushness.

mullein in three different phases (Verbascum thapsus)