Her real name is Liatris pycnostachya, but I much prefer her "common" name, gayfeather. Now that we've had a little rain (2" in the past week), I'm beginning to see a few of gayfeathers blooming in the pastures and meadows. These native perennials grow from corms. And yes, they are drought-resistant. In fact, they're often named as an important low-maintenance garden plant. But when the soil completely dries out as it has done in the past 12 months, the corms become dessicated, shriveled, dead. I've noticed that the few that are blooming grow in favored locations: places where a little moisture might have collected, or in just enough shade (a grass clump, or a small tree) to permit some shelter. Or maybe the corms that survived had a tougher "skin" and could hold their own moisture better. (Will their offspring inherit this trait?) Whatever the reason for their persistance, I'm delighted. It's a joy to see these survivors.
But it's also a lesson, another indicator of the impact of climate change here, at Meadow Knoll. When the drought-resistant species begin to die off, we know that the situation is getting serious. And of course it's not just here. It's everywhere. But there's not enough political will to stop it, too much corporate investment in the emissions status quo, too little public concern. Bill McKibben wrote a strong piece in the New Republic this week--Earth to Obama: You Can't Negotiate with the Planet. Read it.
Expecting rain here this weekend: remnants of TS Olaf in the western Pacific, colliding with a cold front sliding down on the jet stream from the NW. Happy days. The zukes/squash are still blooming, but there's a serious dearth of pollinators (the drought again?) so a fall crop isn't likely. There will be some tomatoes, green beans, and soybeans, and I'm eager to see if the sweet potatoes make a crop. Planted some pak choi and other Chinese greens, and the usual lettuces.
Darling Dahlias: 77,000 words as of yesterday, and making forward progress. Very much enjoying the characters. I love working with ensembles: much opportunity for interesting interactions, conflict, humor. One ensemble in this book (The DDs and the Cucumber Tree): a group of older ladies who live in a boarding house--a sort of 30s version of The Golden Girls.
If you haven't entered the Cameo-Character Raffle, here's the link. Your chance to appear in one of China's mysteries!
Reading note. We can lie to ourselves about many things; but if we lie about our relationship to the land [or to the sea, or the wetlands, or the Arctic wilderness, or global warming] the land will suffer, and soon we and all other creatures that share the land will suffer. If we persist in our ignarance or dishonesty, we will die. . . . Seeing the danger of ignorance, we may be moved to invent or recover some of the lore that connects us to the land, that tells us how to live in our place.--Scott Russell Sanders