#chinkapin

[ID for image 1: A screenshot of the Ozark chinkapin wikipedia article which reads as follows:

An analysis has also found that Ozark chinkapin populations contain far more genetic diversity than those of the American chestnut, which was also devastated by the chestnut blight. The study also found that the Ozark chinkapin may actually be ancestral to the American chestnut and Allegheny chinkapin, rather than the other way around. Another study has found that the surviving Ozark chinkapins are even more resistant to the chestnut blight than the Chinese chestnut, which is not affected by the blight.

The last sentence is highlighted. End ID 1]

[ID for image 2: A picture of the Midwest United States that's mostly greyed out. A small patch of land across northwestern Arkansas, southwestern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma are green instead, showing the range of the Ozark chinkapin. End ID 2]

Exhausted.

iPhone 8 + ShakeItPhoto

Not at the same time, but one after the other, the pair of Chinkapin Oaks out front have finally dropped all their leaves.

Winter is nearing, but we still need lots of rain.

Die Geschichte der 2014 auf der Hebriden-Insel Isle of Raasay gegründeten gleichnamigen Destillerie verfolge ich schon eine ganz Weile, hatte mich schon frühzeitig für den Newsletter angemeldet. 2017 begann man dort mit der Produktion des eigenen Whiskys in Brennblasen aus Italien, die Zeit bis zur ersten eigenen Abfüllung überbrückte man mit der Produktion von Gin und zugekauften rauchigen und…

i haven’t drawn my oc Chinkapin in a long while so here she is! not the happiest with how it came out mainly due to the flag, but it’s fine

I made a new acquaintance this week. While surveying a dry ridge top I began noticing a strange, musty odor in the air. At about the same time I began seeing what looked like spiny chestnut burs littering the ground. I looked above me and there stood the branches of a chestnut in full bloom!  It didn't make much sense to me that I would be seeing a Chinese chestnut in such a remote high-elevation area. As it turns out, this was indeed a native species of chestnut, though one I have never encountered before. What I was looking at was a healthy stand of Allegheny chinkapin (Castanea pumila).  The Allegheny chinkapin is a small tree compared to its cousins. It is native to the southeastern United States where it seems to prefer xeric sites. Now I am a child of the post-chestnut era and therefore I am not used to seeing a native chestnut at reproductive age. As it turns out, the Allegheny chinkapin varies in its susceptibility to the chestnut blight that devastated its relatives.  Reports from Kentucky as well as the Ozark Mountains show that these populations have suffered severely from the blight. Here in North Carolina, however, the situation seems to be a bit better. Trees don't seem to show the signs of heavy infestation (blighted cankers and cracking of the bark), though some trees do show some scarring. Regardless of their susceptibility, it would seem that they are able to reproduce at a smaller size. On top of that, they readily sucker and it doesn't take long for the suckers to mature.  All in all this is a lovely tree. It is refreshing to know that there is hope for our native Castanea. Its small stature makes for ample opportunity to appreciate this species when you find it.  Further Reading:

http://bit.ly/29l3XLP