Growing Wild

This video depicts a moment that is nearly impossible to observe: a sperm whale surfacing with a giant squid clenched between its teeth. These predators hunt at depths exceeding 800 meters, where light does not penetrate, and only biosonar directs the pursuit. Consequently, clear surface images are exceedingly rare.

My favorite thing about this clip is that, in the original uncropped footage, you can see her calf is right beside her, ascending from the depths along with her. Whale calves don't dive until they're taught by their mothers. It is very likely that this footage is of a mother whale teaching her calf to hunt on one of its very first dives.

[VIDEO TAKEN: MAY 13TH, 2026 | Video ID: A video of a common blue mud dauber on a human hand crawling around as the camera moves with it, appearing to attempt and fail to fly off, then giving itself a quick clean off, and pausing for a moment /End ID.]

Goliath Stick Insect (Clemacantha goliath), family Phasmatidae, QLD, Australia

Not much to say at the beginning of this week, except that there are some new sprouts!

I can't remember where exactly I planted the beans and squash. Either way, it's so interesting when they first sprout.

The basils are beginning to put up flower heads as well now. There are more for the mustard, but I don't think they're enough. I've learned that I really don't care for the leaves. They've turned bitter now with the temperature.

To think a month ago, I was worried. The cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers are still behind those that were bought at nurseries, but they are making headway! Amazing to see how much has grown over a month.

I saw one baby cucumber on the vine. One pepper is doing well, but the other one is still limping along.

One squash squash, and I'm assuming both beans sprouted. The beans always grow so well. I will plant another squash today when I get to the garden.

I completely forgot to take a picture of the harvest until this morning, when I started drying the herbs! Once again, I have more dill than I know what to do with. Hopefully that means more seed heads this year. I didn't get very many last year. I didn't get many cucumbers last year to make pickles, either.

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.

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