Curiosity Cabinets

I had a splendid time this morning listening to a Linnean Society webinar entitled "Rearranging the Universe | The Enduring Spell of Curiosity Cabinets" by Geovanni Aloi.  It was an evening  lecture in London, which meant it was an 11:30 event here in ABQ.  That suited me perfectly as I am not terribly active as I recover from surgery.  

The discussion was quite wide-ranging and touched on several points that are relevant to not only my own office (a sort of curiosity cabinet itself) but to botanical gardens in general and herbaria in particular.  It's timely in that I just got word that the BioPark Society has setup one of it's donated herbarium cabinets in there offices down on 10th St.  

Thank you, Rotary Club

Herbaria began to take their modern form 4 centuries ago.  By the 1700's we had fairly standard methods as collections began to take on the role of name bearers.  The concept of the type specimen became central to botanical nomenclature.  We continue to have a myopic focus on named species.  The NM Rare Plants Technical Council focuses most of its energy on listed species and only secondarily on endangered habitats.  Our phenological observations are predicated on data from specific individual plants that we revisit every week.  (In February there is a confluence of these things as the Rare Plants TC meeting and a Nature's Notebook presentation and tour occur on the same day.)

Collections of natural objects have long been a human preoccupation.  Our very survival from deepest times probably owes a great part to our ability to notice our environment and pass on our observations to subsequent generations.  

Our own consciousness at root focuses on patterns:  similarities and differences that have meaning.  Our perception is constrained by our senses, which scan the environment like a searchlight in the dark, sweeping a narrow beam of attention.  Alan Watts, in his work “The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are,” Chapter Two: “The Game of Black-and-White” put it eloquently:  

“Attention is therefore something like a scanning mechanism in radar or television [...] But a scanning process that observes the world bit by bit soon persuades its user that the world is a great collection of bits, and these he calls separate things or events. [...] The truth is that in looking at the world bit by bit we convince ourselves that it consists of separate things [...] We do not see that the world is all of a piece like the head-tailed cat.”  

I consider myself both a plant taxonomist and an ecologist.  At that intersection is a world where at first individual species are all important and then, with a twist of the mind, not important at all.  The important thing then becomes the system with all its glorious chaos and moving parts.  As it turns out, both view points are valid and important.  

Returning to the subject of curiosities, whether a garden, a room, a shelf, or a herbarium, we find that they all reflect a great deal about the culture of the times and its values as well as the personality of the collector.  

My office collections feature books, family memorabilia, crafts (mostly gifts from others), photographs, and small figurines that have personal meaning to me.  Grandfather's Mauser, a WW1 war prize, hangs on the wall.  It hasn't been fired in over 100 years and is a testimony to the family's survival through two great wars and all the little ones since.  No Horak has been in the military since Henry was drafted in WW2.  Of course, there's also the teddy bear collection, which has now expanded to a large stuffed critter collection.  Each is named.  Each has a story.

But I digress. 

Turning to more public collections, the botanical garden itself is a horticultural showcase that demonstrates that Albuquerque is a place of cultured appreciation.  Having a noteworthy garden is a point of civic pride and its collections focus on New Mexico habitats, local conservation efforts, and comparisons with similar habitats worldwide.  

The herbarium at the Botanic Garden continues to flourish, albeit slowly.  Cabinets have been obtained.  The collection grows as Sheila and I harvest and press materials.  Summer students help with the mounting.  We have a meeting in two weeks to plot next steps.  At last the herbarium is moving beyond a curiosity, becoming both a notable educational tool and an important part of their IUCN work.  

More to come when I dig deep into the BioPark's conservation efforts like their seed bank and ex sito collections.  

Ecological Security

The Guardian today tells the tale of a UK national security report that was buried by their government because of inconvenient truths.  The long and the short of it is that the report highlights how climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions is not only an environmental threat but a national security threat as well.  

UK food security is at risk as drought, flooding, extreme temperatures, and population growth create stress with a very real possibility of ecosystem collapse.  By that the report's authors mean that basic ecosystem services like clean water, clean air, and food will be severely diminished.  One analysis concluded that the UK will no longer be able to support its livestock industry under future conditions.  A major shift in dietary patterns would be required.  

Elsewhere in the world, the catastrophic melting of Himalayan glaciers could result in mass migrations in south Asia and increased border conflict.  Water scarcity in south, east and central Asia will be a major disruptor.  The possibility of a nuclear exchange in the region becomes more likely under the expected climate change.  

One can only imagine that similar thoughts are running through those parts of the US government who haven't drunk MAGA's climate Kool-Aid.  Of course, there will be no report produced as the USG rapidly dismantles its climate monitoring and response infrastructure.  I'll try to track down the graphic I saw yesterday showing how the EPA and related agencies took huge hits in their personnel levels.  Only the Dept. of Health showed worse declines.  

Just to have a photo for the thumbnail of this post:  

Cylindropuntia viridiflora ripe fruit in winter

Another Trip Around the Sun

The birthday boy survived another solar orbit, thanks in no small part to Caro's tender ministrations.  Debbie dropped in for a while this afternoon and brought a delicious cake.  We toasted with Martinelli sparkling cider.  (The Acetaminophen has really put the brakes on drinking wine.)  Got a bunch of lovely gifts:  a couple books, a French rolling pin, a Norfolk Island pine planted as a kokedama, a set of hand-cut travel combs, a pair of spherical "ice cube" molds.  Cards and good Facebook wishes have poured in.  

Kokedama

All in all, a great day except that I'm recovering from Thursday's surgery.  Caro has been spoiling me since I'm limited in what I can lift.  So far there's been very little discomfort, so I've stopped the Tylenol today, but I'm keeping up with the Ibuprofen and other Rx's.  Last night I slept particularly well, so that's a move in the right direction.  

I learned this afternoon that Theresa Crimmins, Director of the USA-NPN, will be speaking at the Botanic Garden on the morning of the 12th.  Judith Phillips has made arrangements for us to give her a tour of the Cottonwood Gallery afterwards.  Looking forward to hearing her talk and then engaging with her out at our observation sites.  

Snow

Finally, a wee bit of the white stuff, just in time for Burn's Night.

The backyard with its bistro lights in the sand cherries illuminating the bodhisattva fountain is dusted in perhaps a ¼" of snow.  Radar shows another hour or so of possible snowfall.  Early morning might be magical... bitter cold, but magical.  

Perhaps Ric will get down to the Japanese Garden for photos in the snow?  

A Meeting with the Robot

Spent yesterday under a robotic knife.  

 Surgery was #2 in the morning, so I was home by noon.  It took most of the afternoon for the happy gas side effects to wear off.  No nausea and the discomfort was minimal.  Even now after the first night, it feels more like I just did 50 situps.  

I have a bunch of Rx to take now.  Trying to get on a reasonable 6 hour schedule.  Things have to be taken with food, so I'm having an early breakfast.  My appetite hasn't been affected and there are no restrictions.  Sleeping on my back is new and difficult for me, but we have new adjustable beds, which helps immeasurably.  

We now return to our regularly scheduled botanical blog.  

This week the U.S. National Phenological Network held its first Local Phenological Leader (LPL) conference.  It's been a virtual event, handled very well by the USA-NPN staff with Zoom.  On Day 1 I was the lead-off speaker for their first Local Phenology Showcase session.  It went well and I'll post the link to their recordings when they become available.  

I met several other citizen scientists from the Southwest:  our own Sheila Conneen was online, Grace Burford from Prescott, Colleen Kaufman from the BioPark (but not part of our team), and Sylvan Kaufman from the Leonora Curtin Wetlands up in Santa Fe.  More on this in the next post.  

My surgical recovery is keeping me away from observations this Monday, but that's not such a bad thing with a serious bit of weather blowing in later today and bitter cold temperatures expected after that.  

In other news, USA-NPN Director Theresa Crimmins will be visiting Albuquerque in a few weeks.  I plan on being available on February 12th to assist Judith Phillips with a tour of our Cottonwood Gallery observation sites.  More on this in February.  

And speaking of February, on the 11th down at the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge we will be having the annual NM Rare Plants Technical Council meeting.  This is always a very deep in the woods meeting of like-minded plant taxonomists, ecologists, and field botanists.  I count myself as a bit of all three and this meeting keeps me in touch with important plant conservation topics covering the entire state.  It's an eclectic group of old and new professionals from across every state and federal agency.  University herbarium staff, National Park Service biologists, and state Fish & Wildlife are among them.  More on this in February, too.  

Biking Albuquerque's Acequias

I'm in for some recuperation time after this week's up-coming surgery, so I need a desk project.  Thinkin' I'll write up descriptions of my favorite acequia bike rides.

• Albuquerque Acequia
• Duranes Lateral 
• Griegos Interior Drain
• Griegos Acequia
• Harwood Lateral
• Griegos Wasteway
• Pueblo Acequia
• Chamisal Wasteway
• Menaul Lateral
• Albuquerque Riverside Drain
• Atrisco Feeder
• Bike-in Coffee
• Tingley Ponds
• Albuquerque Main Canal
• Corrales Lower Riverside Drain

I should have decent photos of most of these along with notes on wildlife and plants.   I've got my work cut out for me.  

Normally Abnormal

It was a totally normal day:  wake up, coffee and toast, off to the Botanic Garden, home for lunch, some Sandia consulting work, 5:00 news and exercise, leftover pork tenderloin et al., and finally bake some Jamie Oliver chocolate rye cookies.  I spent the evening watching MS NOW with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnel (the latter interviewed Sen. Warren), followed by Nat Geo episodes of digs in Egypt.  

The Nature's Notebook Gang at the BioPark

In South Carolina, Buddhist monks continue their walk for peace while their faithful dog, Aloka was surgically treated in Charleston by vets working pro bono.  We expect them to reach Charlotte on the 15th.  Perhaps my nephew can see them.  

Somewhere during all that, protesters across the nation sought to get ICE out of their communities.  Protesters in Iran were killed by the hundreds.  Courts, Congress, and NGOs fought with the current regime.  Chaos still reigns in Venezuela.  Gaza is a mess, as is most of Africa.

What's wrong with this picture?  How can ABQ be so normal while democracy is on the ropes and autocrats plot to turn the world into Hitler's 1938 Germany?  

FELON47's sycophants keep trying to gut existing conservation measures, destroy existing wildlife refuges, and sell off our public lands.  As for me, I finished my slide deck for the Nature's Notebook online conference.  What hope is there for citizen science when mainstream science is under concerted attack by TCF?  

Jamie Oliver's 5-ingredient chocolate rye cookies

In the final analysis, I can report that sous vide pork tenderloin cooked with sage, cinnamon, and lemon peel is great.  Fleischmann's recipe for Brewer's Rye Bread is also excellent.  (Note to self:  Get some deli pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut.)  

Of Possible Interest

These two items rolled into my inbox over the last few days, one on gardening and health, the other on the need for a coordinated data structure to capture the vast wealth of knowledge housed in Botanic Gardens worldwide. 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250509-how-gardening-boosts-brain-health  

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-botanic-gardens-vast-knowledge-untapped.html 

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues its off-the-rails trajectory while I bake brewer's rye bread.  It shouldn't be this normal.

Sponge after 30 minutes

After second rise

Got dem IUCN Blues

The 2/3rds of the White House that is still standing issued an Executive Order today withdrawing the U.S. from 66 international organizations.  Among them was the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Nothing could make clearer that this administration passionately hates our environment.  

The list is long and includes:  

• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
• International Tropical Timber Organization
• Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
• UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
• UN Oceans
• UN Population Fund
• UN Water

On top of that clear message that the U.S. has no interest in preserving a functional global habitat for humans, let alone wildlife, there were a few other ringers:  

• International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
• International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
• International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law

I am deeply, deeply distressed.

And all this atop a day of ICE shooting an unarmed observer in Minneapolis.  

I did manage to update our hardcopy Nature's Notebook records based on Monday's observations. 

 

January 6 Redux

Welp, here we are again "celebrating" 1/6, the convicted felon's (TFC) failed coup.  Five years later and we haven't learned the lesson:  justice delayed is justice denied.  Congress had their chance, but the McConnell-led Senate didn't convict TFC after his second impeachment.  Their rationale:  the court system is the appropriate venue to punish him for his actions (and inactions) that infamous day.  

And we're still paying the price.  

That said, it looks like the tide is turning.  Mark Kelly refuses to be cowed and others in the Pentagon  are pushing back against those vindictive actions.  There's a vote coming in Congress to overturn his first veto of the 2nd term.  SCOTUS might declare illegal his abuse of tariffs.  The misadventure in Venezuela may rapidly backfire. 

Hide and watch.  

Shifting topics, there was set of Nature's Notebook observations to be made yesterday, followed by an online "murmuration."  That Zoom chat involved about 16 various NN users.  I'm reminded that I need to pull together a slide deck for a lightning talk about our BioPark group for the NN virtual conference coming up later this month.  

In things both political and natural science, I'm find solace in the story of the candle and the sun.  A candle complained about being small next to the sun.  The sun replied, "In darkness, your light matters more than mine."  Small things can have profound effects at the right time.

I'll end by noting that the sun is returning.  Today has about 50 seconds more sunlight than yesterday.  

First Phenology Observations of the New Year

 Political matters out of Washington continue to dominate rent-free space in my head.  Today I came across a succinct quote from one of the founding parents:  

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny,” James Madison warned in Federalist No. 47. 

Watching television news is definitely not good for my mental health, so getting out in the Garden was a very pleasant diversion.  Sandy and Sheila were out for various reasons and that left me on my own for making Nature's Notebook observations.  

It's winter and that means most of our species under observation are dormant.  There are a few green leaves on one chamisa (Ericameria nauseosa) and the cholla's fruits (Cylindropuntia imbricata) still can't decide if they are green or yellow.  

This time of year if there's something up in a cottonwood, it's either a snoozing porcupine or a cluster of mistletoe.  Today I saw only the latter.

Now that it's January, River of Lights is over and the crews are out dismantling the displays.  It will take them weeks to undo all the zillions of lights and pack everything away until next fall.  Let's hope that they don't clobber too many of the new labels in the process. 

Datura in the Cottonwood Gallery

Assume Corruption

Our American experiment in Democracy seems to have failed.  The founding parents assumed that wise and honorable men (white landed males) would control the levers of power.  Even through the Civil War and the depredations of the late 19th century Robber Barons, things held together.  Richard Nixon was unable to subvert our system. 

But with the coming into power of a second DJT term, the wheels are off.  Toadies in Congress and the Supreme Court do nothing to exercise their lawful obligations to be checks and balances.  Along with a feckless Department of Justice that no longer heeds its requirement to be an independent agency, there is no resource in our system of government that can reign in the current administration.  

The result is a president unfettered by law, Constitutional, International, or otherwise.  That he would pardon one convicted former president of a Central American country, all the while violently attacking another while confiscating their oil makes a lie of his interest in protecting the U.S. from South American drugs.  

When/if we have an opportunity to redress this situation, it will not be by reestablishing "norms" of governance.  Laws will have to be enacted that codify unambiguously the limits of power and the forceful and redundant means of enforcement.  

Never again will SCOTUS or DOJ be allowed to subvert our Constitutional rights and protections.  Their behavior forces us to assume corruption and greed will be the prevalent motivation and that institutional guardrails will have to become fortress walls.  No longer can we rely on "men" of good will to uphold our way of life as the current group has abdicated all respect and honor.  They will long be remembered as cowards who sold their country for a handful* of silver.   

________________

* Federal Reserve data indicates that as of Q1 2024, the top 1% of households in the United States held 30.5% of the country's wealth, while the bottom 50% held 2.5%.

Exceptions

White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit!*

Now that I've got that detail taken care of, I can wish everyone a happy New Year.  

There are, of course, exceptions.  People who are particularly hard to extend a loving kindness metta to.  

Moving on to more positive thoughts, I can vouch for this recipe:  cacio e pepe from research published last year in Nature.  Two thirds cups of cheese to a scant teaspoon of cornstarch turns out to be the optimum ratio.  

Here's a toast to a better 2026... 

_______________

*  Spoken and typed before even the title of this piece :-)