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Can I share this plant with you that made me go insane? It's called apios americana and the only common name that makes sense is "groundnut" or maybe "potato bean" but really it doesn't have a common name because of genocide. Because it was a marginal semi-domesticated food even for native American food ways, it wasn't important enough to save. It was barely important enough to name.
Except! Inexplicably, someone brought it to JAPAN! Where they grow it still! So what the fuck! The wikipedia page lists all the reasons it's too hard to farm, then immediately says "oh but they farm it in Japan and it's called America-hodoimo." Why! How does this make sense!
So then a Louisiana professor started trying to breed it and improve the tubers, but he retired and abandoned the project.
Why am I crazy for this plant? Oh yeah, it fixes its own nitrogen and it's allegedly shade tolerant, so I wonder if it could grow under solar panels.
I am boggled by the natural heritage of eastern North america that is totally unknown and ignored.
I've heard of this and seen it, but I've never had any success propagating it. I brought some tubers to my meadow and buried them last fall but I don't see anything sprouting. They might just be hidden from my sight though.
I don't know if I've heard of it being cultivated in Japan!
Yes, it was domesticated, and there were lots of efforts to re-domesticate it a while back. I didn't know what had happened to the project though, it's sad that it was abandoned.
My foraging mentor said that some people can randomly develop a severe sensitivity to it and get really sick when they eat it...but I reckon that's the case with a lot of foods.
Most places I've found Apios americana the population has been rather small and marginal, but there is one spot my best friend and I found when driving around (on a gravel road leading up to somebody's trailer, next to a large wetland/marsh) that was completely overcome with it. It was everywhere, growing in vast mounds over top of other plants. The plant diversity in that marsh fascinated me. One of those little biodiversity hotspots that randomly occur in the landscape.
Yay Apios americana! I also commonly hear it called hopniss, which comes from Lenape, although there are several other regional names/variations
Even though the original LSU project is no more, there are several small farmers who are still working on improving it. I have tried to grow some of these plants but thus far have failed due to animals digging up the tubers and I believe because one spot I tried was too dry
I’m hoping that Apios americana will go the way of the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Although it was pretty much forgotten about in the US where it’s native, Jerusalem artichokes were taken to France in the 1600s where they became widely cultivated across Europe (and are actually now invasive on most continents). Many improved varieties were developed, which have recently ended up back in the US (I grow two varieties that were both developed in Europe). 🤞🏻🤞🏻 that we can learn from everything the Japanese have been doing (although part of the issue is the mismatch between conventional agriculture in the US vs smaller farms in Japan, which is why many small farms have to import machinery of all types from there because nobody is making them here)
It looks like just pinpricks of lights flicking off and on. It's some of the hundreds to thousands of fireflies in my yard, after years of fostering their environment.
It's come a long way since I moved in. It used to be that I could stand in the yard during firefly season and count 30+ seconds before seeing a flash. It's still not at the level I remember seeing in local areas a couple decades ago, when fields would practically glow with how many fireflies lit the air above them. But it's not nothing. And maybe my yard doesn't make a huge difference on its own, but when you multiply it by hundreds, by thousands, by millions... it adds up.
Did you know it takes years, multiple, for firefly larvae to mature into beetles? You won't see immediate, drastic effects if you start trying to help them. But when you believe in the long game, you'll see it improve over time. I don't have to wait 30 seconds to see the glow of a firefly in my yard anymore. In fact I can't count seconds anymore. There's always a light on.
I stopped stopping them. I leave my lawn to grow long during their breeding season and when mowing don't mow to the ground, I leave the fallen leaves from my trees (we will rake some out of our paths, but we mostly leave them alone), and I pull out non-native flora when I can ID it. Leaving outdoor lights off (like porch lights) can help as well, as it allows them to see each other blinking.
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True and sincere answer to all of the people who ask, "I have just seen X animal, what does this mean?":
Rejoice, my friend, for this is a most auspicious sign! You have received one of the greatest blessings known to human kind: you live in a world full of creatures! Take comfort and enjoy this divine blessing.
a ton of people have unexpectedly followed me over the last 2 days so here is my rent-lowering gunshot:
the american south is the most racially diverse and poorest region of the united states, and any political sentiment that treats the south is stupid or expendable is inherently racist and classist. a lot of y'all are racist and classist. the south is also the heart of american culture. argue with a wall. you cannot deny that everybody in the entire world does not emulate artists from atlanta. there is vested interest in keeping the south poor and uneducated BECAUSE this is the most racially diverse region in this country. if you actually give a fuck about progress, you would fight for the south, not mock us.
Earlier this week I mentioned putting pickle juice in my water to replenish electrolytes. I work outside in a very hot and humid area, so it was very necessary.
Since then, a LOT of people have chimed in with their favorite hot weather drinks. I want to try... all of them. I've only had a few. Many of them are similar, but I still think its cool how many variations there are for 'its fucking hot out here and I don't want to die.'
So here is the incomplete list.
ORS (oral rehydration solution) (link has several recipes)
Shrub (sharaab)
Agua de pepino
Switchel
Posca
Ayran
Straight up drinking pickle juice (small doses)
Agua fresca
Sekanjabin
Pickle lemonade
Lebanese lemonade
Salted watermelon
Jamaica/hibiscus tea
Lebu pani
Ayuvedic gatorade
Soda chanh muôi
Suero
Aam paan
Sharbat
-
These ones were given to me without names, and were just lists of ingredients, to taste:
- water and umezu
- diluted apple juice with lemon and salt
-watermelon, lime juice, mint
- sparkling water, mint leaves, lemon or lime juice, cucumber
-coconut water, lime juice, salt
-salt, lemon juice, water
-orange juice, salt, sugar, water, lime or lemon juice
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I'll take natural fireworks over the loud stuff any day during peak nesting and drought season.
I had a camera out last night to photograph the sky, and I got some nice firefly action. The cam takes a photo every 30 seconds, and did this all night. I went through them and took out the 13 that had glow bugs in them and then stacked them to make this composite. It is not perfect, I am not operating with pro equipment, and I had to edit contrast etc but I quite like it.
When I'm looking at a forest in the Kitsap area, what is the most common type of evergreen tree I see? I recently went camping near Spokane and it was so clearly dominated by ponderosa pines and I didn't have the knowledge to explain why it felt different to Kitsap. Is it mostly a lot of different trees with similar shapes?
Kitsap is dominated by Douglas fir (which isn't a fir but in the pine family but still in it's own genus), specifically the subspecies coast douglas fir. They're a different shape than Ponderosa pine, have tighter and shorter needle structure, and much smaller cones. Most of these trees were planted to replenish the trees cut down which sadly means they're too close together and forming monocrops with little diversity. A lot of the areas, especially once you get closer to Tahuya, would have been more predominantly shore pine but that isn't a fast and straight growing lumber plant like dougies.
Other conifers we have in Kitsap:
Western hemlock - small cones, upwardish facing needles, often prefers moist areas
Western red cedar - Not a true cedar but in the cypress family, red-ish bark with lines/grooves that tend to run right up the tree, likes wet areas and shade tolerant, often flared at the bottom
Sitka spruce - very uncommon in Kitsap, there's a couple big ones around Kitsap Lake, cone scales are paper thin, cones are only a couple of inches long typically. Blue-ish needles that hurt to grab (if you ever wonder if a conifer is a dougy or a sitka, because there are some oddly blue dougies, just grab a branch and you'll know fast). When they're larger they get a bell bottom jeans base, they prefer moist areas near lakes or creeks
Pacific yew - Flat laying needles, often very yellow-ish if stressed by sun or other factors, otherwise a nice deep green while new growth is a much lighter green. They're very slow growing (and endangered sadly) but when they get to a large enough size they start peeling their thin bark much like madronas. Female yews make pink berries that look a lot like huckleberries but have a black seed inside that is exposed at the bottom. This is actually a modified cone! All parts of the plant are incredibly poisonous except the flesh of the cone/berry (which tastes like nothing ask me how I know). Typically found near creeks and especially waterfalls, I also often see them on very dry poor slopes like those of Green Mountain. Different niches or subspecies? who can say.
Shore pine (Pinus contorta var contorta) - Similar to ponderosa, fairly craggy bark even when young, shorter needles more tightly clumped together, tolerates having wet feet all winter (as in I've seen them where the bottom couple of feet of tree is underwater for winter), but you also see it on dry hills with poor soil, also a "host" for wolf lichens (yellow hairy stuff) just like the mighty ponderosa, may be something to do with their pH.
Western white pine - Cery similar to ponderosa but needles are still slightly shorter, tend to have a slight blue tint to them, and their bark is smoother, cones tend to taper off a lot near the end, the tree and the cones are pretty much always covered in sap. Threatened due to the introduction of a blight that attacks them
Grand fir - way less common in the Kitsap area than other areas in the lowlands but there are a couple of pockets of them. Longer (2" or more) needles that lay very flat when in the understory but point upwards in the crown or when exposed to lots of light
Noble fir: Native to the cascades but introduced here because it makes for good Christmas trees or for it's lovely blue needles. Bark tends to be smoother. You can see these under the powerlines just outside of Gorst or at Ueland tree farm. It can also hybridize with grand fir (I have found at least one on the peninsula).
As promised, some budget advice for absolute beginner garderners! It's a slow process to fill a garden while spending little money, but it makes the pay off all the sweeter, and isn't it nice to slow down in this day and age?
Also, find the garden swap groups in your area- gardeners are very generous(aka, every one I've been to had multiple people giving away plants without wanting trades), and by getting plants for free you know you're getting plants that do well in your area.
Seconding the advice to look up gardening groups and free seed or plant swaps - also, perennials aren't impossible they just tend to have more specific needs. A lot of perennials native the US, especially northern regions like the pacific northwest, require a period of cold stratification to let them know they've survived a winter and spring is coming. This can be as easy as putting them in winter sowing containers and keeping them outside all winter, or putting the seeds in damp paper towels in the fridge or freezer for several weeks. If you're growing a perennial from seed, its worth a quick check to see if it needs stratification or Scarification (scratching wearing them down dipping in acid etc) to help initiate germination. Definitely more trouble shooting, but worth it when you figure it out.
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The planning process for two wildlife crossings will begin in the California desert thanks to a $5.5m state-funded grant. The crossings over
For several years over the past 10 or so, I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, and for a few years was its President. During my tenure at MDLT, staff and the board were aware of the need for a wildlife crossing. Several staff members and directors were engaged in preliminary activities to cause the construction or one or two wildlife crossings over (or under) State Hwy 62 that connects the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, etc.) with the high desert (Joshua Tree National Park, for example). This story from MDLT's web page tells us about the current plans, the importance of wildlife crossings, particularly in the ecological areas of concern, and funding for preliminary planning. Makes me happy! I'm hoping this all works out.
Excerpt from this story from the MDLT web site:
The planning process for two wildlife crossings will begin in the California desert thanks to a $5.5m state-funded grant announced on Thursday. The crossings over State Route 62 will benefit local residents by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and will provide safe passage for numerous wildlife species including two threatened mountain lion populations.
The two overpasses were designed for critical points at the Morongo and Yucca grades on SR-62 where multiple wildlife deaths have been documented, including mountain lion, black bear, deer, and bighorn sheep.
The project is led by the Mojave Desert Land Trust, which protects land on either side of the busy highway in a strategic wildlife corridor that connects Joshua Tree National Park to Sand to Snow National Monument, San Gorgonio Wilderness, and San Bernardino National Forest. The area is part of a system of interconnected protected landscapes stretching from Mexico to Canada.
California’s Wildlife Conservation Board awarded the Mojave Desert Land Trust with $5.5 million in grant funding for the planning phase of the wildlife crossings. The Land Trust will be the grantee, Caltrans will be the transportation agency, and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission and the Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District will serve as local agency partners.
The grant funding will bring two proposed crossing projects to 65% design completion, setting the stage for implementation. The three-year grant will include the technical studies and engineering work needed to design the crossing structures, the development of plans to encourage their use by wildlife, and the required environmental review. Stakeholder involvement and public information will also be important components of the project.
Once the planning phase is completed, MDLT and their partners will work to secure funding for the implementation and construction phase.
The future fate of two imperiled mountain lion populations may hinge on the wildlife crossings. The Eastern Peninsular Range and the San Gabriel-San Bernardino Mountains lions are two genetically isolated populations that meet in the vicinity of SR-62. Their numbers are now so low that they risk extinction if they cannot remain connected to other populations. Both populations are part of a group of lions that was listed in California on February 12 as a Threatened Evolutionarily Significant Unit under the California Endangered Species Act.
“Desert communities exist at the intersection of people, wildlife, and wide-open landscapes. The proposed wildlife crossings would re-establish the natural movement of animals across the land, reducing dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions, and strengthening the health of the ecosystems that sustain us,” said Kelly Herbinson, Executive Director, Mojave Desert Land Trust. “Thanks to the support of the Wildlife Conservation Board and our partners, we can invest in solutions that not just protect wildlife but support safer roads and more resilient communities that exist within, not apart from, nature.”
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