Three cheers for Darwinius

Being still an amateur at this Blog Business, I went a couple of weeks without an entry, and consequently forgot my password. Aha, password recovery worked and here I am again. These past couple of weeks I've been recording spring wildflowers with my camera, as usual. Then I slipped on a slippery rock and broke my camera. Taking it in for a checkup tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I've been reading other peoples' blogs, especially one of my favorites, Pharyngula, run by biology professor P. Z. Myers. He has a knack for discovering idiocy. Some kinds of idiocy can be ignored, but he focuses on the kind that threatens to dumb down our society to a dangerous level - maybe it's already too late! Enter Darwinius. This exciting fossil has been around, unnoticed, for a couple of decades, but recently came to the attention of paleontologists. Then, before those of us with scientific curiosity could digest the news, it was discovered by creationists and reporters, the former ready to spew another round of ignorance and the latter willing to write most anything to increase sales.
Darwinius is the name given to a 47-million-year-old fossil of a critter that lived at an exciting juncture in the primate family tree. It is NOT a missing link. There is really no such thing. Ever since the Piltdown hoax nearly a century ago, the idea of a missing link has been used and abused in arguments between those who accept Darwin's theory of natural selection and those who don't. For some entertaining reading, check out Pharyngula on this topic.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of photos I took before my camera broke. The aptly-named farewell-to-spring is abundant this month in many places between 3'000 and 4,000 feet in the northern Sierra where I live. Around the same time, one of my favorite early summer weeds, variously known as yellow salsify or goatsbeard, Tragopogon, is blooming all around me and in my nature journal I am renaming it welcome-to-summer.

"Natural" bonsai?

While out photographing wildflowers with my kids, I stumbled across this amazing little Douglas-fir. In our area, this tree normally reaches 20' or more in height before producing cones. This one was growing out of a small crevice in vertical strata of basalt, and due to limited soil and water (I presume) reached full reproductive maturity while less than 2' tall. In the vicinity we saw some really interesting (that is, beautiful) wildflowers, the showy phlox and a species of locoweed. Fun day.

Getting Blogged down...?

I've been having a great time editing some 500 wildflower images for my CD, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to use this one of Leopard Lily on the cover. I've got 135, more or less, species of Plumas County wildflowers in my archive, am planning a narrative to facilitate identification of our most common species. It'll be backed up by some great guitar instrumentals by my son, Greg. My goal is to emphasize the beauty, the role in the environment, and the periodic visits by amazing-looking bugs, and go light on the technical information. Will supply a printed booklet to assist with scientific names and provide references for further study - for those inclined to study! I'm just loving getting down on my knees, sometimes in mud, and discovering new angles and details in flowers that I have often taken for granted, or not noticed at all. Focusing on creating a CD has intensified my curiosity, and with a growing list of flowers that are familiar to me, the thrill of an occasional new discovery is all the greater. Besides aiding visitors in discovering the beauty of our county, I love digging into the etymologies of both the common and scientific names - and discovering interesting and sometimes bizarre names like "henbit deadnettle" and "birthwort." Sun's coming out again. Got to get my camera and run. Joe

The Idiocy of Leaf Blowers

Coming soon: an expanded version of my take on leaf blowers. Imagine an alien visiting from outer space, a creature who was up on Earth's current events. This creature would know about our diminishing supply of fossil fuels and our utter dependence on them. He/she would understand how our addiction is tied to our need for transportation and warmth. What would he/she think we are trying to accomplish by blowing leaves around? Would he/she see the obvious suicidal tendency and stupidity inherent in using up our remaining fuel supply in this manner?

What to do before or after a nature walk...

My home away from home for many years has been my favorite coffee house, Morning Thunder Cafe, in Quincy, California. I have done a great deal of writing (and coffee drinking!) there, and I designed the lettering on this sign which, after 28 years on the front of the cafe, has been removed and given to me as a souvenir. The cafe is now officially named simply Morning Thunder. On Lawrence Street, in downtown Quincy, look for red and yellow lettering in the same style as the sign above. And look for the bright flowers pictured here and, in a few more weeks, the awakening grapevine in front of the cafe. Sidewalk dining will be great when the weather warms.

What bugs the wildflower photographer?

When I set out to photograph wildflowers, I can guarantee that one of two things will happen, either bugs will arrive and compete for my interest or the wind will arrive. In the case of these photos, I adopted the attitude of e. e. cummings' Old Uncle Sol who started a worm farm, even though that was far from his original intention. I recommend the poem, "Nobody Loses All the Time" which is about Uncle Sol.

Using the term "bugs" loosely...

This critter visited our front yard in Mendocino County regularly. It was as long as a pocket comb, 6", and was lots of fun to watch. Everyone should pick one up at least once, even though it can take hours to wash your hands afterward.