Blessed are the Weak

Been reading Lia Fail -- the Earth always speaks.   One line near the end resonates with me:  "the insistence that the weak matter even when they are inconvenient."  It applies to the homeless, to wildlife, and to wilderness.  

Been down to the Garden for a Thursday afternoon presentation on Origami in the Garden, a display from some artists on the Turquoise Trail that promises to be spectacular.  October - March with a chance of a seasonal bonsai display to accompany the giant metal sculptures.  We'll see.

Datura

No evening tours this June.  In the past, it's just been too hot and, with the sun setting at 8:20, things are really just an uncomfortable late afternoon walk in the Garden.  

Post-Solstice

We're already past the solstice.  There have been hikes, phenology, baking and cooking, gardening, and photography.  It's about time I got back to blogging.  

Monday Sheila and I taught the first of this year's herbarium workshops.  I collected the dried sheets this morning and some were quite well done. 

Cynara cardunculus

 Last summer we collected a couple flowering artichokes.  The students managed to whack them in half and we pressed them.  This year, we mounted and labeled them.  For such a thick specimen, I'd say they came out well.  

A New Month

Things are lining up to be a busy month.  In a couple weeks we'll have our first Camp BioPark herbarium workshop.  Then later that same week, we'll have a Nature's Notebook brown bag.  

To that end, I was working on the pressed specimens in the herbarium getting an inventory pulled together so I can print labels.  We should have nearly 80 specimens to be mounted by the students.  Some have the potential to be works of art.  

Autumn crocus, Colchicum

Queen of the Night, Epiphyllum oxypetalum

The Evening Garden Walk

Tuesday was the first evening tour at the BioPark.  With some recent docent injuries, we were down to 3 tour leaders, including moi.  With 60 ticketed guests, that meant 20 visitors/guide.  

I was leading the third and last group.  We started out in the Spanish-Moorish Garden, went through the other formal gardens, and then strolled through the Lebanese area to the new Orangerie.  

From there we explored the Mediterranean Conservatory.  That's always good for the Nepenthes and the Bougainvillea story.  

At the 4-way junction north of the conservatories, both the Curandera and the Camino de Colores were blocked by the earlier two groups.  We went west, hopped the rail fence, and took the back path to the Herbarium.

After that, we avoided the others by heading to the farm (the Highland cows were very accommodating).  From there we enter the Cottonwood Gallery to talk about Nature's Notebook while looking for Datura blooms and native 4 o'clocks (Mirabilis).  

We exited the CWG to the horticultural work areas and entered the Japanese Garden through the back gate.  From there we returned via the Camino de Colores, the Desert Conservatory, and the Festival Green.  All in all, a very complete tour with some really good backstage offerings.  

In the Garden

Wednesday was a surprisingly big push to get the backyard shipshape and Bristol fashion.  Then friends came over for a home-made pizza dinner.  A busy day.  

Caro has added some finishing touches (and noticed that the first mosquitos of the season have arrived).  The result is a very lovely and relaxing yard.  Here's a sampling... 

Penstemon neomexicanus

 

Bonsai Banzai

 And it's a wrap.  The 2026 ABQ Bonsai Club's annual Mother's Day Show is in the books.  Once again, we took over the ABQ BioPark's Botanic Garden Atrium and put on our two day show.

A small portion of the show

48 specimens were displayed.  Still waiting on the results from the "People's Choice" voting.  

May the Fourth Be with You

Yes, it's Star Wars Day.  Forecast was for a windy afternoon, but here in the North Valley, it never got more than slightly breezy.  Definitely not windy enough to stop Debbie and I from a midday bike ride in her neighborhood.  

Now we're waiting for the forecast rain showers.  Radar shows the storm just north of I-40 -- very close.  There's also much more stretching from Quemado down to Tucson, Rocky Point, and El Rosario.  I'd call it a bona fide atmospheric river.  

In other news, the war with Iran continues with contradictory reports coming out of Washington.  All the while, the GOP reveals its racist underpinnings with its immediate response to the recent SCOTUS ruling that all but killed the Voting Rights Act.  We now know exactly who the bigots are in this country.  

On that uplifting note, I'll leave you with this photo of my little kokedama, a Norfolk Island Pine.  

May Day or Mayday?

I've already said my "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit," so no need to go down that proverbial rabbit hole.  Here are today's topics of interest.  

Although there hasn't been as much publicity as there was for the No Kings marches, today is supposed to be a one-day general strike.  Very appropriate for Worker's Day, May Day.  Of course, the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and a tenuous ceasefire is in place despite dualing blockades.  I suppose one could consider today's "strike" a practice run for what might be necessary if (when) TCF tries to stop or overturn the November elections.  In any event, being retired, this is an easy one for me:  an acequia walk or a garden visit, some Ingress, tidy up the office, cook something interesting, Gardener's World on BBC tonight.  

Speaking of tonight, today is the first of two full moons in May.  That's very auspicious, since Caro and I always celebrate an important lunar anniversary in May.  Moules and frites are on the menu along with a favorite rosé wine finished off with dessert from Flying Star.  

Also auspicious is the fact that a thunderstorm rolled through tonight.  The forecast had written ABQ off for any measurable rain, but we've gotten 0.2" so far.  

Late yesterday the NPN-USA folks hosted a Zoom webinar where University of Arizona students presented their research using Nature's Notebook data.  Our BioPark observations were highlighted by one student (thanks, Bellamy!) and Theresa kindly complimented us on our work in the Cottonwood Gallery.  

Screen grab of Bellamy's poster

Like Ships Passwording in the Night

Doing some minor maintenance like password updates this morning.  Expecting to have howling winds by midday, so it's a good day to plan on indoor activities.  I'll make a run to the store to restock vino supplies, but other than that, I'll be done for the day.  

Here are some shots from yesterday afternoon that highlight textures and colors in the backyard garden beds.  

Euphorbia myrsinites

Foeniculum vulgare

Ranunculus cv.

Osteospermum cv.

Antirrhinum majus

While we've had an abundance of native bumble bees, this season there are few butterflies and European honeybees.  Still waiting for black swallowtail caterpillars to appear on the fennel.  

This 4-day weekend is the observation period for iNaturalist's City Nature Challenge.  So far, I've had little time for making observations since everywhere I've been has been cultivated.  Tomorrow, though, I'll be out in the Cottonwood Gallery with plenty of native plants, insects, and birds.  

Stand by for tomorrow's photos.  

Contemplating Baba

Meher Baba taught that one could never know the results of one's actions.  Good deeds could produce evil unintended outcomes.  Evil deeds could yield good.  We're seeing the latter these days. 

President Donald Trump calls environmentalists “terrorists.” Yet he is responsible for destroying more oil and gas infrastructure, and possibly more fossil-fuel demand, than the most optimistic ecoterrorist could in their wildest dreams. By going to war with Iran, the president, who has been openly hostile toward the clean-energy transition, may unintentionally turn out to be one of its greatest allies.
Mark Gongloff - Bloomberg

Donald Trump has done more to accelerate the energy transition than anyone else alive. The attack on Iran is not the way any of us wanted this to happen, but the unintended consequences of Trump’s pointless war could help sink Trumpism everywhere – and the corrupt and filthy industry that props it up.

George Monbiot - The Guardian 

Van Morrison said it in "You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River." 

And we was contemplating Baba, William Blake and the Eternals

Goin' down to the Sisters of Mercy

Looking for the Veedon Fleece

I can only hope that my efforts, meant in the best of intentions, do not in turn on themselves.  After spending a morning in the Lebanon & Beyond Garden at the BioPark's Botanic Garden placing labels with Maria, it was a domestic and restful afternoon.  

Earth Day

It is with some trepidation that I face Earth Day this year.  Mom Nature is not going to be happy with us, either individually or collectively.  

I've been out in the Lebanon and Beyond Garden placing labels with Maria ahead of VIP visitors Thursday afternoon.  Should be able to finish tomorrow just in time.  Sadly, the day may be quite windy in the p.m.  Even so, the Garden is beautiful right now, especially the roses and peonies.  

City Nature Challenge kicks off on Friday.  Nothing official from the BioPark, but I'll spread the word personally.  

In other news, another nuclear scientist has disappeared; found hours later in a burned out Tesla.  Very strange.  

Steampunk Meets Sci-Fi

Ric and I made a spiritual pilgrimage to the Very Large Area on Saturday.  It was their spring open house.  To our surprise, there were thousands of visitors swarming over the central area.  

Most fascinating to me was the little pony engines (definitely steampunk) that moved the ginormous radar dishes around single-handedly.  Not only can they lift the 230-ton dishes (without tipping them over), they themselves weigh 90 tons and they can swivel 90° to service both the side spurs and the mainlines.  

The dishes on the other hand, were clearly alien.  Sci-fi to the max.  Ten stories tall with an 82' diameter, they had state-of-the-art supercooled electronics packaged atop enormous rotator bases and azimuthal gears.  

The array was wide-spread this weekend, with the full 13 miles of each arm of the Wye being used.  The view even from the main highway was still impressive.

And, not to forget that there was a botanist at the wheel, on the drive home I scored some Glandularia gooddingii for my plant press. 

Echinocactus Season

Spring has sprung despite the fact that it might freeze tomorrow night.  The Echinocactus are blooming.  The claret cup cactus and the scarlet hedgehogs are going off in all their glory.  

 They will be finished in a week or two, but for now they are glorious reminders that the warmth of summer is not far away. 

That said, last year I have photographs of them blooming in late May.  I don't think that's a one-off kind of weather event.  We're seeing the seasons march backwards as the globe warms. 

Yesterday I read that the primary current that fuels a temperate European climate may be grinding to a halt by century's end.  But still our misguided and greedy administration does everything it can to hold the country back from a renewable energy future.  Fracked oil and gas seem to be king, while Iran's blockage of the Strait of Hormuz drives home the folly of such a path.  

The idea of a plug-in hybrid is becoming more and more attractive.  For now, I'll make do with the 11-year old Prius and it's 55 mpg.  

To the Moon and Back

This week began with us facing a genocidal threat from TCF, possibly involving nuclear weapons.  The week ended with the uplifting conclusion of Artemis II with a successful splashdown and recovery in the Pacific.  NASA video and audio was very high quality and gave us a ring-side seat into every phase.  

For a Friday, it was one of those "get out of the housekeeper's way" Fridays, so I went to the Garden while Caro went to PT.  The bundle of labels I grabbed was a good one--got them all placed except the Chinese pistach, whose irrigation system is being worked on.  

Then it was off to Duran's for lunch (cafeteria closed :-() and a Covid shot.  We ended up at The Range Cafe instead.  After lunch, we attacked the Co-op for wine and cheese.  I even got a nap in before the main event (re-entry) began at 5:00.  By a little after 6:00 MDT, they were safely floating in the Pacific.  

La Luna

Today Artemis flew behind the moon.  For 40 minutes they were the loneliest people since the Apollo days.  While there were 4 astronauts this time, back in the day there would've been a single command module pilot, alone waiting for the team on the surface to return.  Now we wait for reentry. 

In other news, labels for the Lebanese Garden have been ordered.  The possibility of rain today or next Saturday both seem to get lower.  Things are cloudy, temps are cooler, but no sign of frost.  Sunday Deb brought 4 mosquito fish for our pond.  We'll see how they do.  They and the turtles need to be fed later today.  

Also later today, I'll be at the BioPark Society offices for some kind of trash/recycle bin "training."  No idea what that entails.  

Speaking of training, I've got training due later this month for Edgewater.  Seems a waste, since I'll likely end my Plone 5 support role by June.  

For this post's thumbnail image, below is photo of 8 labels that were not placed in the Botanic Garden beds.  I photograph them and then use Google Lens to extract the text.  From there I cut-and-paste into my Backyard Refuge Label status spreadsheet.  

New Mexico Weather

After record-breaking temps in March, a cold front has brought a setback, at least for one day.  It was chilly enough today to keep Terrance dug in.  Tiberius was out this afternoon, drinking from one of the drip lines during the irrigation run.  I fed him the last few meal worms and he seemed sated.  I look forward to when Terrance's metabolism gets fired up enough for him to start eating.  For now, his weight and general health is good, so I'm not worried.  

The day before (Thursday) found me placing labels down at the Botanic Garden.  From pomegranates in the Spanish-Moorish Garden to the showy milkweed (Asclepius speciosa) and the Mormon tea (Ephedra viridis) in the Cottonwood Gallery, I got quite a bit of distance in.  

I checked out the Orangery and the conservatories as I was finishing up.  Managed to collect and press several Myrtillocactus blossoms.  Need to check on the Neobuxbaumia next time I'm out there.  Otherwise, plenty of things blooming that were worth seeing.  

Clivia

Young pitcher on Nepenthes

Cape Leadwort, Plumbago auriculata

I've been seeing claret cup cacti blooming about town.  I expect that the Echinocereus at the Garden will be blooming soon as well.

White Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit

White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit!   

OK, with that business taking care of, we can get on with recent events.  The Botanic Garden was lovely on Monday.  The weather was warmer than normal by a fair bit, so everything was early.  Despite the recent winds, some cherries still had blossoms.  Our Nature's Notebook observations revealed that the showy milkweed, Asclepius speciosa, had made its first appearance.  

Sakura cherry blossoms

Tree peony

Species tulip

Double pink crab apple

Creeping phlox in the HDRG

Anemones, pasque flowers, grape hyacinth, early iris, and more was flowering. 

I busied myself afterwards with labels.  Sphaeralcea sp. went in the Bugarium north beds.  Sporobolus wrightii went in the Cottonwood Gallery.  In between were half a dozen others.  There are now 51 of the Backyard Refuge labels in the ground.  

NK3

The fierce winds last Friday almost certainly spelled the end of Hanami.  Maybe the crab apples will be able to carry on the show now.  But by Saturday morning, things were cool and calm, just right for No Kings 3.

Caro, her cousin, and friend Jeff piled in to my Prius and we set off with our signs.  I dropped Caro and Jeff at Palo Duro and San Mateo.  A friend of cousin Kathy let us park in her driveway and drove us to the drop off on San Mateo.  We rendezvoused at the Montgomery Park pedestrian bridge.  

The park was packed.  Latter overhead imagery let me estimate 39,000 protesters at the event.  That's 3.1% of the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area.  We're closing in on that magical 3.5% theoretical limit when we can overturn an autocrat.  

We saw a few friends but missed connecting with most of them.  Speakers spoke (including Stacy Abrams) and then the march began.  We watched the crowd go past as we walked down to the dropoff/pickup location.  And soon we were home.  

A good day's effort.

Tomorrow (Monday) is a Nature's Notebook day.  Sheila can't make it.  Sandy needs to start early so she can help out at the Natural History Museum afterwards.  

Early this morning I came across a Margaret Roach interview with Ned Friedman that resonated with out weekly efforts at a relationship with our plants.  https://awaytogarden.com/life-changing-lessons-in-a-tree-with-arnold-arboretums-ned-friedman/

More tomorrow...

Hanami Continues

Yesterday I was in the garden putting out Backyard Refuge labels.  While coming back from the Cottonwood Gallery, I swung around the back of the waterfall pumphouse in the Japanese Garden.  The Yoshino cherry there was in glorious full bloom with petals just beginning to be shed.  

When I collected a back branch for the herbarium, I was showered with petals.  Sakura fubuki is in progress, "wind blown cherry blossom falling like snow."  

Of course, it's not just cherry blossoms falling, the elm seeds are blowing like snow into drifts all across the town.