If you click on the little "meadow" link at the bottom of this post you'll get quite a few blog posts that only partly relate to building a California meadow from your turf lawn. That's because I sometimes glom several topics together on one blog post and the meadow part of the post is minor or incidental or just didn't take more than a paragraph to write up. So, if you don't want to wade through the minutia of a California meadow and prefer to get an idea of the big picture then the short list of most important links is below, working backwards chronologically.
The wildflowers had died and been cleared out (keeping up with the neighbors again) and some yarrow carpeted the meadow area of my front yard - almost like turf grass, provided you were far enough away:
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/09/my-california-meadow-almost-like-turf.html
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/04/thicket-emerges-from-meadow.html
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/03/weekend-doings.html
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/03/meadow-update.html
Here's a good time lapse photo history:
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/02/front-yard-meadow-before-and-after.html
This one has the seed mixture and my preparation methods:
http://bammorgan.blogspot.com/2007/01/front-yard-meadow-details.html
2008-04-15
2008-04-14
Let them drink soda
Setting aside the real problems of rising food prices, here's a perplexing quote from a recent article on the topic.
"I was talking to people who make $9 an hour, talking about how they might save $5 a week," said Kathleen DiChiara, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "They really felt they couldn't. That was before. Now, they have to."
For some, that means adding an extra cup of water to their soup, watering down their milk, or giving their children soda because it's cheaper than milk, DiChiara said.
Is there some reason that someone in dire financial straits can't drink water instead of soda? It's healthier. I drink a lot of tap water, and so far as I know it's the same tap water at my faucet as everywhere else nearby.
"I was talking to people who make $9 an hour, talking about how they might save $5 a week," said Kathleen DiChiara, president and CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "They really felt they couldn't. That was before. Now, they have to."
For some, that means adding an extra cup of water to their soup, watering down their milk, or giving their children soda because it's cheaper than milk, DiChiara said.
Is there some reason that someone in dire financial straits can't drink water instead of soda? It's healthier. I drink a lot of tap water, and so far as I know it's the same tap water at my faucet as everywhere else nearby.
2008-04-13
Garden bloom contrasts; seeds planted
My Olallieberry plants have had a sudden bloom.
Looks like a bumper crop is on the way.
Meanwhile, my Western Redbud (Cercis Occidentalis) has exactly ONE SMALL red bud. Apparently they bud out more profusely as they get more mature.
Seeds planted in peat pots today: Koval's Giant pumpkins, Lumina pumkins (a white variety), Strawberry red popping corn, Bright Lights multi-colored chard, Allsweet watermelon, Charantais melon.
Looks like a bumper crop is on the way.
Meanwhile, my Western Redbud (Cercis Occidentalis) has exactly ONE SMALL red bud. Apparently they bud out more profusely as they get more mature.
Seeds planted in peat pots today: Koval's Giant pumpkins, Lumina pumkins (a white variety), Strawberry red popping corn, Bright Lights multi-colored chard, Allsweet watermelon, Charantais melon.
2008-04-11
Not too late for tomatoes in LA
Maybe it's not too late for tomatoes. Robert Smaus, now a monthly garden writer for the LA Times, writes April is the Time to Plant Tomatoes, Citrus, and Summer Flowers
It's warm enough in most areas to plant the so-called main crop tomatoes -- all the heirlooms, 'Big Boys' and beefsteaks. Close to the beach, May is a better month, unless you plant a variety that can take cooler weather such as 'Early Girl' or 'Stupice,' a Czech heirloom. When choosing any variety, look for the letters VFN, which indicate verticillium and fusarium wilt and nematode resistance, if you've had problems in the past.
I think he's talking about nursery starts, so according to him I'll be right on time (May) for planting tomatoes in my coastal garden: Early Girl and Celebrity are in, the heirlooms will be ready next month! I feel relieved not to be violating conventional wisdom.
It's warm enough in most areas to plant the so-called main crop tomatoes -- all the heirlooms, 'Big Boys' and beefsteaks. Close to the beach, May is a better month, unless you plant a variety that can take cooler weather such as 'Early Girl' or 'Stupice,' a Czech heirloom. When choosing any variety, look for the letters VFN, which indicate verticillium and fusarium wilt and nematode resistance, if you've had problems in the past.
I think he's talking about nursery starts, so according to him I'll be right on time (May) for planting tomatoes in my coastal garden: Early Girl and Celebrity are in, the heirlooms will be ready next month! I feel relieved not to be violating conventional wisdom.
LA Times on invasive plants
Thursday's LA Times has an article on invasive plants in the Home and Garden section.
According to the article, a four year effort by Sustainable Conservation has resulted in the Plant Right organization, which matches botanists, gardeners, and a region sensitivity to encourage nurseries and big box stores to do the right thing. The bad news is that it relies on good will and chiding to get the nursery trade to go along.
"...hummingbird sage is a beautiful native that would grow in cool wet areas, especially in Solstice Canyon. Instead, those areas are full of periwinkle and nasturtiums. [invasive garden escapees]
"In Solstice Canyon, we're trying to reintroduce steelhead trout. They need a native plant community to generate the insects to feed the trout. Instead, right now they have periwinkle and nasturtiums."
Brigham's eyes do not light up at the sight of fountain grass fluttering in the breeze along our roads. "It offers wildlife none of the forage of the native sunflowers that it displaces," she says. "What's more, it's not particularly good at stabilizing slopes."
...regional solutions are crucial. Although ice plants are destructive in a coastal dune setting, they're a water-wise and fire-resistant ground cover for inland gardens. So a surgical approach to targeting the offenders was needed.
Nicholas Staddon, director of new plant introductions for Monrovia Growers, agrees. Monrovia was one of the first backers of PlantRight, and although his company still grows and sells invasives, he says, it's working hard and in earnest to keep them off store shelves in sensitive areas. Give nurseries terms they can work with and they'll buy in, adds Terri Kempton, PlantRight manager for Sustainable Conservation.
Now the group is focusing on big-box stores. Lowe's confirms that it is beginning the exhaustive and complicated process of inventorying its stock, pulling offending plants and retraining its growers.
Skeptics need only point out the nasturtium seeds for sale in just about every garden center in Southern California, and PlantRight can seem toothless and wishful. Still, a start is a start, and as a start, PlantRight is exceptionally well organized. A newly revamped website, www.plantright.org, allows gardeners to click on their region and look for local solutions.
The beauty of having botanists and skilled gardeners behind the effort is that consumers are not in for a scolding. For every "don't," there are two or more "do's." Giant reed is discouraged, but clumping bamboo and New Zealand flax are recommended. Fountain grass is discouraged, but blue oat grass, deer grass and sedges are offered as alternatives.
According to the article, a four year effort by Sustainable Conservation has resulted in the Plant Right organization, which matches botanists, gardeners, and a region sensitivity to encourage nurseries and big box stores to do the right thing. The bad news is that it relies on good will and chiding to get the nursery trade to go along.
"...hummingbird sage is a beautiful native that would grow in cool wet areas, especially in Solstice Canyon. Instead, those areas are full of periwinkle and nasturtiums. [invasive garden escapees]
"In Solstice Canyon, we're trying to reintroduce steelhead trout. They need a native plant community to generate the insects to feed the trout. Instead, right now they have periwinkle and nasturtiums."
Brigham's eyes do not light up at the sight of fountain grass fluttering in the breeze along our roads. "It offers wildlife none of the forage of the native sunflowers that it displaces," she says. "What's more, it's not particularly good at stabilizing slopes."
...regional solutions are crucial. Although ice plants are destructive in a coastal dune setting, they're a water-wise and fire-resistant ground cover for inland gardens. So a surgical approach to targeting the offenders was needed.
Nicholas Staddon, director of new plant introductions for Monrovia Growers, agrees. Monrovia was one of the first backers of PlantRight, and although his company still grows and sells invasives, he says, it's working hard and in earnest to keep them off store shelves in sensitive areas. Give nurseries terms they can work with and they'll buy in, adds Terri Kempton, PlantRight manager for Sustainable Conservation.
Now the group is focusing on big-box stores. Lowe's confirms that it is beginning the exhaustive and complicated process of inventorying its stock, pulling offending plants and retraining its growers.
Skeptics need only point out the nasturtium seeds for sale in just about every garden center in Southern California, and PlantRight can seem toothless and wishful. Still, a start is a start, and as a start, PlantRight is exceptionally well organized. A newly revamped website, www.plantright.org, allows gardeners to click on their region and look for local solutions.
The beauty of having botanists and skilled gardeners behind the effort is that consumers are not in for a scolding. For every "don't," there are two or more "do's." Giant reed is discouraged, but clumping bamboo and New Zealand flax are recommended. Fountain grass is discouraged, but blue oat grass, deer grass and sedges are offered as alternatives.
Diversity modeled for Madagascar, how about California?
The Science and Nature section of BBC News has an article on applying diversity measures to Madagascar habitat. This relates to the central thesis of the Tallamy book which I wrote about here and here.
I think there are many similarities in between Madagascar and California. The California Floristic Province is essentially an island, like Madagascar. Biodiversity is particularly high (at a guess, animal biodiversity seems higher in Madagascar, and plant diversity higher in California).
"Because it is the fourth largest island in the world, it's got a lot of major ecosystems within it - it has desert areas, rainforests, high mountains, lowlands and it also has incredible marine resources as well.
"There has also been a lot of diversification within the island of the plants and animals, so it's not only a place where many species are unique, it is also a place that is very rich in biodiversity.
"The real problem is knowing what areas to protect."
Widening the web
In 2003, the president of Madagascar announced plans to triple the size of the network of protected areas in an attempt to conserve the nation's flora and fauna, many of which were under threat from human developments.
In an effort to help the government decide what areas to protect, the international team of researchers gathered existing data from Madagascan scientists on more than 2,300 species.
...
"Once we had accumulated all this data, we put it all into something we called an optimisation analysis. It looks for the best solution to try to protect all of these different species.
"When you have more than 2,300 species you really need a computer to figure it out; what we were looking for was 10% of the country that could include all of those species."
But the analysis went a step further, Professor Kremen added: "It is one thing to include a species in a protected area, it is another thing to think about whether that species would have enough habitat included and a large enough population to survive in the future.
"Our computer software allows us to find a solution that not only includes all of these species, but includes as much as possible of the habitats that they need."
I think there are many similarities in between Madagascar and California. The California Floristic Province is essentially an island, like Madagascar. Biodiversity is particularly high (at a guess, animal biodiversity seems higher in Madagascar, and plant diversity higher in California).
"Because it is the fourth largest island in the world, it's got a lot of major ecosystems within it - it has desert areas, rainforests, high mountains, lowlands and it also has incredible marine resources as well.
"There has also been a lot of diversification within the island of the plants and animals, so it's not only a place where many species are unique, it is also a place that is very rich in biodiversity.
"The real problem is knowing what areas to protect."
Widening the web
In 2003, the president of Madagascar announced plans to triple the size of the network of protected areas in an attempt to conserve the nation's flora and fauna, many of which were under threat from human developments.
In an effort to help the government decide what areas to protect, the international team of researchers gathered existing data from Madagascan scientists on more than 2,300 species.
...
"Once we had accumulated all this data, we put it all into something we called an optimisation analysis. It looks for the best solution to try to protect all of these different species.
"When you have more than 2,300 species you really need a computer to figure it out; what we were looking for was 10% of the country that could include all of those species."
But the analysis went a step further, Professor Kremen added: "It is one thing to include a species in a protected area, it is another thing to think about whether that species would have enough habitat included and a large enough population to survive in the future.
"Our computer software allows us to find a solution that not only includes all of these species, but includes as much as possible of the habitats that they need."
2008-04-08
One Pot update
Tidy Tips are doing well.
Douglas' Meadowfoam (Limnanthes) is doing OK too.
The Miniature Lupine is a bit of an academic exercise, but now that I understand its role I'll stop having expectations of grandeur. It really is small, and seed germination was sparse. Perhaps I can scatter seed in my vegetable garden next year and use it as a cover crop. For that matter, I could do that everywhere. Las Pilitas has this to say about the Miniature Lupine
A fuzzy little lupine with gray leaves and blue flowers. Useful in revegetation mixes as I've seen it growing on some bad sites. Source: western San Luis Obispo County, California, Godd 9, February 22, 1997. coastal sage scrub. This small annual, is adaptable to a variety of soils, but conditions are best with full sun, open areas, no additional water. small annual, not noticed but very useful in California ecosystems to add nitrogen to the soil so that other plants in the community can benefit.
This is my own little One Pot experiment using Linanthus (Phlox). So far, so good.
I gave up on the Gilia since I never had a single sprout. I overplanted with Claytonia perfoliata (Miner's lettuce) but it might have been too late in the season for good growth. Alternatively, I watered to hard again and buried the seed too deeply. No picture for this.
Douglas' Meadowfoam (Limnanthes) is doing OK too.
The Miniature Lupine is a bit of an academic exercise, but now that I understand its role I'll stop having expectations of grandeur. It really is small, and seed germination was sparse. Perhaps I can scatter seed in my vegetable garden next year and use it as a cover crop. For that matter, I could do that everywhere. Las Pilitas has this to say about the Miniature Lupine
A fuzzy little lupine with gray leaves and blue flowers. Useful in revegetation mixes as I've seen it growing on some bad sites. Source: western San Luis Obispo County, California, Godd 9, February 22, 1997. coastal sage scrub. This small annual, is adaptable to a variety of soils, but conditions are best with full sun, open areas, no additional water. small annual, not noticed but very useful in California ecosystems to add nitrogen to the soil so that other plants in the community can benefit.
This is my own little One Pot experiment using Linanthus (Phlox). So far, so good.
I gave up on the Gilia since I never had a single sprout. I overplanted with Claytonia perfoliata (Miner's lettuce) but it might have been too late in the season for good growth. Alternatively, I watered to hard again and buried the seed too deeply. No picture for this.
2008-04-07
From seeds, growing
Here's a picture of some Sun Gold tomatoes that are sprouting up. I often use a paper egg crate to start seeds. This year I had the obvious innovation of placing it in a broiling pan with water in the bottom. This lets me not fret about keeping it watered during the day. The whole thing goes out on the patio in the sun, and rests overnight under a (dim) fluorescent light. Sometimes I feel that I have to chase the sun around the house, so in the late afternoon I'll move the seeds from the back patio to the front porch. Or not. It depends on how motivated I am.
This year I'm plenty motivated since the pickings of starts at the nursery were unexpectedly slim not to mention that the Sun Golds I grew last year from a nursery start were not as tasty as those I grew the year previous from this seed. Add to that the fact that I feel I'm late with the whole planting thing and I get an overall sense that I ought to be doing SOMETHING! This is worst after I've planted seed but before it's sprouted: Is it dud seed? It'll be too late to plant if I wait for little sprouts to show up. Maybe I ought to buy a backup plant or two at the nursery? No, no. This is all part of a plan whereby I take advantage of my tardiness to plant early bearing nursery starts in order to phase my harvest over a longer period of time - give it time to work.
And it did.
This year I'm plenty motivated since the pickings of starts at the nursery were unexpectedly slim not to mention that the Sun Golds I grew last year from a nursery start were not as tasty as those I grew the year previous from this seed. Add to that the fact that I feel I'm late with the whole planting thing and I get an overall sense that I ought to be doing SOMETHING! This is worst after I've planted seed but before it's sprouted: Is it dud seed? It'll be too late to plant if I wait for little sprouts to show up. Maybe I ought to buy a backup plant or two at the nursery? No, no. This is all part of a plan whereby I take advantage of my tardiness to plant early bearing nursery starts in order to phase my harvest over a longer period of time - give it time to work.
And it did.
2008-04-06
Weekend update
I made steady recovery from the mother of all colds this weekend. Saturday was the farmers' market and a visit to the local outpost of Penzey's Spices, then mowing the grass which has gone to seed and so desperately needed to be mowed last weekend when I was flat on my back ill. When I think of all those little unmown seeds heads broadcasting their progeny to my garden beds I get a little irritated. Unfortunately I was so sick that I was winded after pulling one bolted cauliflower, so I decided that the seeds could wait. Before the big mow event on Saturday, I noticed that the birds which now visit my yard do seem to like the longer grass, which they use as cover when foraging on the ground. I'll probably have some native grasses next year, which I will allow to grow.
Sunday the big activity was more pruning on the Brazilian Pepper. I pruned from the neighbor's yard over the back fence. One of his dogs is named Nasty but it's a little dog, so how nasty could it be? It certainly is loud. I wouldn't put my cat in the nasty category, but he's certainly dirty. A large fraction of the dirt on my floors I am convinced comes from him. Here he is after a dust bath.
I think that I managed to do justice to the tree, mostly by following the usual tree pruning rules, my intuition, and trying to reveal the character of the limb I'm pruning. Here I'm cutting out water sprouts, the stub ends of previous poorly pruned branches, and little crappy branchlets that have no hope of being a positive contribution.
View from the neighbor's yard towards mine. I try to use the tree to screen the tops of his storage. I worked mostly above the storage units today. A problematic straight limb ends in the uncut branches at the right in this picture. Next weekend, perhaps.
There are challenges both philosophical and pragmatic remaining:
Philosophical: I still must prune a long straight limb with no character whatsoever terminating in a tangle with the phone and cable wires. The branch is useful because of the visual balance it brings, but I'll be considering its singular merit quite closely since it has so little else to recommend it.
Pragmatic: I have to prune the part of the tree that hangs over the yard of the neighbor who doesn't speak to me. It's not even a passive sort of not speaking, it's quite an active thing for him. It could get ugly.
Long, problematic, straight, branch is at left heading up at 45 degree angle in this view from my back yard. Neighbor's storage units are visible here.
Other tasks accomplished: Dug soil amendments into the garden. Got my first sprouts from seed of Green Zebra and Sun Gold tomatoes. Lovage, Italian parsley, and Miner's lettuce are also among the seeds that I'm trying to start, but no signs of them yet. Planted nursery starts of Celebrity and Early Girl tomatoes and some gifted boysenberry plants.
Douglas Iris is blooming.
Even considering the laundry, vacuuming, dish washing, marketing, cooking, visits from parents, quality time with Juli, etc. that happened this weekend, I'd have to say I didn't get much done.
Sunday the big activity was more pruning on the Brazilian Pepper. I pruned from the neighbor's yard over the back fence. One of his dogs is named Nasty but it's a little dog, so how nasty could it be? It certainly is loud. I wouldn't put my cat in the nasty category, but he's certainly dirty. A large fraction of the dirt on my floors I am convinced comes from him. Here he is after a dust bath.
I think that I managed to do justice to the tree, mostly by following the usual tree pruning rules, my intuition, and trying to reveal the character of the limb I'm pruning. Here I'm cutting out water sprouts, the stub ends of previous poorly pruned branches, and little crappy branchlets that have no hope of being a positive contribution.
View from the neighbor's yard towards mine. I try to use the tree to screen the tops of his storage. I worked mostly above the storage units today. A problematic straight limb ends in the uncut branches at the right in this picture. Next weekend, perhaps.
There are challenges both philosophical and pragmatic remaining:Philosophical: I still must prune a long straight limb with no character whatsoever terminating in a tangle with the phone and cable wires. The branch is useful because of the visual balance it brings, but I'll be considering its singular merit quite closely since it has so little else to recommend it.
Pragmatic: I have to prune the part of the tree that hangs over the yard of the neighbor who doesn't speak to me. It's not even a passive sort of not speaking, it's quite an active thing for him. It could get ugly.
Long, problematic, straight, branch is at left heading up at 45 degree angle in this view from my back yard. Neighbor's storage units are visible here.
Other tasks accomplished: Dug soil amendments into the garden. Got my first sprouts from seed of Green Zebra and Sun Gold tomatoes. Lovage, Italian parsley, and Miner's lettuce are also among the seeds that I'm trying to start, but no signs of them yet. Planted nursery starts of Celebrity and Early Girl tomatoes and some gifted boysenberry plants.
Douglas Iris is blooming.
Even considering the laundry, vacuuming, dish washing, marketing, cooking, visits from parents, quality time with Juli, etc. that happened this weekend, I'd have to say I didn't get much done.
Meyer lemon marmalade
I made this recipe for Meyer lemon marmalade from epicurious.com. The lemons are off of my salad citrus (four varieties grafted on one). I ended up using somewhat less sugar and yielding about 4.75 half pint jars. The stuff I was tasting as it was cooking was frighteningly bitter at one point. Then it cooked some more and the bitter moderated. When it says thinly slice, I don't think it means 1/4 inch rinds. Go smaller next time.
6 Meyer lemons (1 1/2 lb)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
Special equipment:
Cheesecloth
Kitchen string
6 (1/2-pint) Mason-type jars, sterilized
Preparation
Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice. Combine with bag of seeds and water in a 5-quart nonreactive heavy pot and let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature 24 hours.
Bring lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of mixture dropped on a cold plate gels, about 15 minutes.
Ladle hot marmalade into jars, filling to within ‰ inch of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids.
Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely.
Cooks' note:
• Marmalade keeps, stored in a cool, dark place, up to 1 year.
6 Meyer lemons (1 1/2 lb)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar
Special equipment:
Cheesecloth
Kitchen string
6 (1/2-pint) Mason-type jars, sterilized
Preparation
Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice. Combine with bag of seeds and water in a 5-quart nonreactive heavy pot and let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature 24 hours.
Bring lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of mixture dropped on a cold plate gels, about 15 minutes.
Ladle hot marmalade into jars, filling to within ‰ inch of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids.
Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely.
Cooks' note:
• Marmalade keeps, stored in a cool, dark place, up to 1 year.
2008-04-03
"...plants in yards have an ecological job to do, regardless of whether they are invasive or not."
...People have bought into the idea that aliens are undesirable only because of their invasiveness. If you say it is not invasive, then (they reason) there is no reason not to plant it. How many talks have we attended where big names stand up there and tell the audience exactly that. And that, of course, generates all the arguments about whether a plant is invasive, or maybe it's just a little invasive, etc. We are still a long way from convincing people that the plants in their yards have an ecological job to do, regardless of whether they are invasive or not.
Doug Tallamy as quoted in an email correspondence on the Invasive Notes Blog.
This captures the essence of the book I recently read and wrote about here quite well.
Doug Tallamy as quoted in an email correspondence on the Invasive Notes Blog.
This captures the essence of the book I recently read and wrote about here quite well.
Oak masting in the news
chuck b. mentions oak masting and provides the link to a Sac Bee article on masting (focusing on the Valley Oak, their locally native species.)
From the article:
Folsom city arborist Ken Menzer said the origins of the ample acorn crop stretch back to 2006.
"That spring was really wet, and because of that, in the fall the trees put out lots of buds for flowers," Menzer said. "Then, in 2007, we had a really dry spring, which is perfect for pollination. So in the fall of 2007 we had lots of acorns that were viable."
...
As for all those tiny trees sprouting in your lawn, it's too late to save them if you don't want to let them grow in place. Oak trees grow long taproots right away, making them hard to move.
"Right now, I hate to tell you, just mow them over," said Ray Tretheway, executive director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. "When an oak seedling sprouts up, and the first two leaves come out, that taproot is already two feet into the ground. You can't dig them up and transplant them at all."
Of course the real mystery about masting is why it's synchronized across the entire oak habitat and across oak species. An earlier post right here pointed the finger at research that supports a critical window of spring time temperatures as a signal, and as you'll recall, spring 2007 (the end of 2006 winter) had several weeks of unseasonable cold.
From the article:
Folsom city arborist Ken Menzer said the origins of the ample acorn crop stretch back to 2006.
"That spring was really wet, and because of that, in the fall the trees put out lots of buds for flowers," Menzer said. "Then, in 2007, we had a really dry spring, which is perfect for pollination. So in the fall of 2007 we had lots of acorns that were viable."
...
As for all those tiny trees sprouting in your lawn, it's too late to save them if you don't want to let them grow in place. Oak trees grow long taproots right away, making them hard to move.
"Right now, I hate to tell you, just mow them over," said Ray Tretheway, executive director of the Sacramento Tree Foundation. "When an oak seedling sprouts up, and the first two leaves come out, that taproot is already two feet into the ground. You can't dig them up and transplant them at all."
Of course the real mystery about masting is why it's synchronized across the entire oak habitat and across oak species. An earlier post right here pointed the finger at research that supports a critical window of spring time temperatures as a signal, and as you'll recall, spring 2007 (the end of 2006 winter) had several weeks of unseasonable cold.
0.02" of rain last night; season total = 13.67"
Just a sprinkling of 0.02" chez moi last night.
We're well above normal rainfall for the year, (normal at the end of April is about 7") but we didn't get our usual rain in March.
Half the time, statistically speaking, we get between 0.5" and 3" of rain in March, so to not have any to speak of is a bit out of the ordinary. April brings us 0" to ~5" half the time, so there's a statistically favorable chance of at least one more storm before summer.
We're well above normal rainfall for the year, (normal at the end of April is about 7") but we didn't get our usual rain in March.
Half the time, statistically speaking, we get between 0.5" and 3" of rain in March, so to not have any to speak of is a bit out of the ordinary. April brings us 0" to ~5" half the time, so there's a statistically favorable chance of at least one more storm before summer.
2008-04-02
Rap Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales were a favorite from High School English Lit.
Here they are, updated for the current day. They fit well into the world of rap and poetry slam where the traditions of verbal sparring and competition parallel the story telling competition of Chaucer's characters.
Baba manages to stay close to the original intent of Chaucer's stories, and his rhymes are often quite clever. I like the humor of updating Middle English via rap, but because the underlying stories remain intact, these also are compelling listing on their own.
Chaucer probably would have approved.
Worde.
Rap Canterbury Tales
Here they are, updated for the current day. They fit well into the world of rap and poetry slam where the traditions of verbal sparring and competition parallel the story telling competition of Chaucer's characters.
Baba manages to stay close to the original intent of Chaucer's stories, and his rhymes are often quite clever. I like the humor of updating Middle English via rap, but because the underlying stories remain intact, these also are compelling listing on their own.
Chaucer probably would have approved.
Worde.
Rap Canterbury Tales
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