Leap Post

It's leap year... again.  Seems like only yesterday that our national nightmare with Trump was "finally" over.  Biden was in; life was going to get normal again.  While history may not repeat itself, it certainly is rhyming this year.  

Today SCOTUS decided to do what it declined to do months ago, take up Trump's presidential immunity case.  By slow-walking the case, they have pushed the trial until late in summer.  If it gets delayed until after the election, the U.S. will be voting blind, without having seen the evidence of Trump's malfeasance.  

Stepping back from what could be a blistering post on SCOTUS political shenanigans, I'll instead try to stay on target about what this means for biodiversity, the environment, and climate.  

Today VOX rolled out an article about how freakishly warm the North Atlantic is right now.  2023 was a record breaker and 2024 looks to go beyond that.  With an expected La Niña this summer, we're in for a hot summer, a significant hurricane season, and more extreme weather.

Here in NM we've had a winter without winter.  Yes, we had a couple snowfalls, but nothing stayed long.   Surprisingly, the mountain snowpacks are close to or even somewhat above normal for the date.  Temperatures dipped below 20° a couple of times.  Nature's Notebook observations rarely required long underware for the occasional cold morning.  The pollen season has begun and counts are hitting incredible highs.  Just ask my itching eyes.  A look at Siberian elms reveals that they have shed most of their pollen already.  

And with spring temperatures comes the wind.  We had two days of strong gusty wind this week.  That's fueling wildfires in Texas as I type.  Between the lingering effects of last week's cold virus and the wind, my bicycling on the acequias has been cut short.  The MRGCD will be opening the ditches tomorrow, so soon irrigated fields will be turning green.  

Things are popping in the backyard, too.  Crocus are blooming, the hardy bonsai are back outside.  Soon the spring cleanup and planting will begin.  

Out in the bosque, in the canyons, and on the mesas this last bit of snow may help the spring annuals get a headstart.  With a hot summer ahead and who knows what for a monsoon, let's hope for a good seed set of the early plant species.  Time to unlimber the plant press and get ready for the field season.  

Nature had an article in their Conversation section about the dearth of taxonomists and what it means for conservation of biodiversity.  More field workers are needed to accurately assess what is out there, what might be lost if things go too far.  While the IUCN works on identifying individual species at risk, entire ecosystems are falling apart.  Citizen science is carrying us part of the way.  iNaturalist has some amazing datasets, but most of their observations are taken within a mile of a road.  Huge swaths of territory remain under-explored.  

Looping back to politics, a Republican administration and Senate would seriously undercut Biden's efforts to reign things back.  Haaland in the Interior Dept. continues to do good things, but with SCOTUS undermining federal agencies' ability to regulate using best available science and information, we may be seriously handicapped just when we need the agility to adapt.

I'll just close with this link from today's NY Times... https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/opinion/project-2025-trump-administration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE0.YzGH.FPmO8A8ygZqV&smid=url-share 

Bread Week

Winter into spring seems to be a good time to spend in the kitchen.  Between chilly, cold, snow, windy weather and the ever-increasing pollen count, time spent with my glutinous friends is particularly well rewarded.  

When my tea loaf pan arrived from King Arthur, I put it immediately to work with a classic lemon tea cake. 

Even while I was under the weather, so to speak, I managed to pull together a London Fog Tea Loaf for a social event.  I masked and gloved to prevent transmission and, alas, had to forego the party.  Caro took the cake and I even got to see a couple slices returned for my enjoyment.  

 

Then yesterday I wisely put to use two over-ripe bananas.  Rather than turn them into compost, I turned them into banana bread.  

Today I'm trying my hand at pan cubano, the soft Cuban bread for their classic sandwich.  It's in the oven now as I type this.  

We should know in about 8 minutes how things worked out.  Meanwhile, the pork and ham are thawing.  The ham is honey baked and already thin sliced.  The pork is in the form of thick loin chops, which I'll marinate overnight.  They'll be cooked in the immersion cooker for about 2 hours at a 140° temperature.  

For the moment, the bread seems pretty OK for a first whack.  

Infection du Jour

About 10 days ago, I had a little tickle in my throat.  Since then, it's developed into a full-fledged snot-filled sinus crud.  That's keeping me close to the house and taking long naps (not a bad thing).  Sniffling and coughing during the night has not been pleasant, but I hope I'll turn the corner soon.

Meanwhile, to top off my sinus woes, the warm (>50°) weather has the trees popping off.  Juniper (my nemesis), elm, ash, and oak pollen are out there at moderate levels.  If my itchy eyes are any indication, juniper pollen will hit high levels next week.  

Despite the warm weather, there's still a patch of unmelted snow in the front from last week's storm.  

Cottonwood Gallery Species List

It occurs to me that I should combine the Nature's Notebook phenology observations with general botanical observations this year.  I've pulled down the NM Native Plant Society's bosque botanical checklist and will start cross-referencing it against my findings plus iNaturalist. 

Starting off, here's the list of plants we're observing for Nature's Notebook:

• Populus deltoides sub. wizlizenii
• Ulmus pumila
• Forestiera neomexicana
• Prosopis pubescens
• Atriplex canescens
• Cylindropuntia imbricata
• Asclepias subverticulata
• Asclepias speciosa
• Ericameria nauseosa
• Ribes aurantum

Other species that I've seen:  

• Elaeagnus angustifolia
• Tamarix chinensis 
• Solanum elaeagnifolium
• Datura wrightii
• Dalea scariosa 
• Senecio flaccidus
• Kochia scoparia
• Salsola tragus
• Machaeranthera parviflora
• Ephedra viridis
• Mentzelia multiflora
• Parthenocissus vitacea
• Verbascum thapsus
• Zinnia grandiflora
• Cymopterus constancei
• Juniperus monosperma
• Anemopsis californica

 That's all I got for now.  Watch this space.  

Pollution and Pollinators Don't Mix

What a surprise, pollution degrades the attractiveness of flowers.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/science/pollution-flowers-pollination.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UE0.cCfJ.ZboCGTTixE-I&smid=url-share 

Another Day, Another Loaf

 Took the new tea loaf pan out for a test drive.  Baked my classic standard:  lemon tea loaf.  With a tablespoon of lemon zest in the batter, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the icing, and another tablespoon of zest massaged into granulated sugar for the topping, how could it not be delicious.  

No scurvy on board this ship!