Caro & I had a multi-faceted Friday: browsing at Duran Central's gift shop, Covid booster at their pharmacy, lunch at the restaurant, then over to the Botanic Garden for a stroll. The weeping cherries were largely beat up by last Tuesday's storm, but in the back of the Sasebo Japanese Garden along the wide ADA path there were some fresh explosions of cherry blossoms. Even though the Magnolia by the stream was spent, smaller Magnolia × soulangeana were full of magenta color.
After a busy day in the yard, moving bonsai out from winter quarters, putting away the cold frame/green house, sealing the bamboo fencing, etc., etc., it was warm enough to tempt me to take a bike ride. It's still a little chilly (long pants, t-shirt) but the sun was pleasant and there was no breeze to speak of.
I went up the Griegos Lateral to the north behind the high school. Along the way there was Rumex, Arundo, and Sisymbrium leafing out. The latter was already in bloom with tiny yellow blossoms everywhere. The ditch was running happily since they started putting water in it about a week ago.
I took advantage of the water in the acequia to take the new CrowdWater app for a test. I was surprised how much detail they take in. One point of ambiguity: is an acequia a temporary or permanent water feature. I chose permanent because it runs uninterrupted all through the growing season. I may go back and change that because it is a seasonal flow, dry in winter.
Daylight Saving Time has begun tonight. My body says it's 3:00 a.m., but the clock on the computer screen shows 4:00. Later today I'll get out the step ladder and change all the clocks around the house. Have to remember how to do that for the cars, too. I think Caro's Cube didn't get changed, so it won't need any tweaking.
Lucky for me, I don't have a Nature's Notebook rotation at the Botanic Garden this Monday. I've got two weeks to adjust. I'm definitely not a morning person, least of all this time of year.
In the backyard, the birds will come to the feeders as is their want, irrespective of human time. I just need to remember to refill them today. Fluffy will still be at the back door, waiting for dinner at 5:00 MST, which today will be 6:00. But breakfast will be late for her.
I had just gotten used to the lengthening days in the late afternoon. Now the evenings will be preternaturally longer. The Hibiscus will continue to bloom in its natural rhythm. They usually open in the early morning and fade by day's end. The last couple of cloudy, cool days have prompted them to remain open well into the evening, sometimes until the next morning.
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.
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
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.
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.
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:
That's all I got for now. Watch this space.
