If I were a Native American child on the Kansas prairie, or perhaps if I were any current child who occupies these arid grassy deserts, my favorite plant might just be the Catclaw Sensitive Briar, Mimosa quadrivalvis L. var. nuttallii (DC. ), a low-lying perennial that is widespread over my native prairie plot. It blooms in late May-June here, before the grass reaches high above it to blot out the sky, its pink puff-heads screaming for attention alongside the new shoots of bluestem and Indian grass, and its 4-foot long branches spreading through the prairie. The yellow ends of mature flowers are the anthers.
Sensitive Briar is a member of the bean family, the Fabaceae, the latter scientific nomenclature sounding not so much like it describes a squat languorous legume as a pretentious ancient Roman dynasty. Perhaps Sensitive Briar has a right to be a bit pretentious. It is very nutritious for livestock, who seek it out and overgraze it, making the presence of Sensitive Brier an important indicator of overall range condition. Some sources refer to it as a "brier" rather than a "briar," and after some searching, I admit that I will have to accept continued mystery about the proper form of reference. Perhaps Thomas Nuttall, the 18th Century English botanist honored by the subspecies name, could enlighten me if his spirit were to pass by this part of the continent.
The "sensitive" part of the name comes from the plants response to touch, an action scientifically termed "thigmonasty", although I don't know why it would be considered nasty unless one considers the impertinence of the touchers. It folds its leaves from open, like the photo at the left, to closed, as seen at the right with the merest touch of child or wind, and also at night. Other common names for the plant, Bashful Brier or Shame Vine, also refer to this thigmonastic action. Thus, its attractiveness to children, who seem fascinated when they discover or are shown this little moment of cross-species contact. I wonder, if such moments were the first introduction of many children to the world of plants, would ecology and Gaia be more prominent throughout life in our subsequent actions and thoughts?
The "catclaw" of the common name refers to the later pods of these flowers, their prickly nature making them far less attractive to children later in the summer. These do not seem to cling to clothing so much as they scratch at anything in their vicinity, particularly any delicate little bare legs of children playing hide-and-seek in the tall prairie grass. I suppose, like most of nature, one must always take the good with the bad, the rose with its thorns, the Catclaw Sensitive Briar with its pods.
Though an old gardener, I am but a young blogger. The humor and added alliteration are free.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Pink Sugar and Red Hearts
Hibiscus syriacus 'Sugar Tip' |
'Sugar Tip', 2 years planted |
Hibiscus syriacus 'Double Red' |
Hibiscus rojo 'Red Heart' |
In the King James Bible, Song of Solomon chapter 2, verse 1, the beloved says "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." In my garden, there are many beloved ladies worthy of being called the "rose of Sharon", each with its own special beauty and charm. Right now, they all shine, content to bask in the heat of the August sun, supremely confident in their unrivaled glory.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
It Could Be Worse
I just keep telling myself that there are many situations that could be worse than trying to keep a garden alive in Kansas in July. We've only seen one substantial rain in two months and the temperatures have been hovering near or over 105ºF for a week, but it could be worse. Lawn grasses have completely dried up and the trees are voluntarily shedding half their leaves, but it could be worse. Daylilies are yellowing and drying on the ends, despite all the advantages of their fleshy, water-retaining tubers, but it could be worse. That's daylily 'Beautiful Edging' at the right, not so beautiful at present as it edges my garden bed.
Yesterday, for instance, I was headed into my local Walmart at 10:00 a.m., clawing my way forward through the humid already-102ºF air, when it suddenly occurred to me that it would be worse if I had the job of the Walmart employee who had to round up all the carts. Imagine the despair you'd feel to spend your day walking to the parking lot in that heat and humidity, bringing back a long line of carts, only to watch them disappear from the front end even as you were pushing them back into the busy store. That entire job would be an endless, mind-numbing circle of frustration equal to that of Sisyphus ceaselessly rolling the stone uphill only to watch it roll back down. I say that with every intention of not belittling the efforts of the struggling Walmart cart-person, but in sympathy for them.
But then again, the cart-person knows exactly what lies ahead and is not endlessly teased with possibilities and relief. They don't experience rain in the forecast for weeks-on-end, constantly present several days in the future, only to see the rain chances diminish as the appointed day nears. They don't experience what we did last night; a large storm from the west that dissipates and dies within sight of our gardens, just as it meets the air mass of a large storm north and east that we watched form a few miles away and move away from us. We received 0.4 inches of rain last night, penetrating only deep enough to nourish the crabgrass, leaving the poor lilac bush pictured here to languish in the oppressive heat. When thick, succulent lilac leaves start to turn up their heels, you know the drought is bad. You're from New York and afraid of coming to Kansas and experiencing tornadoes? We hope to see them for the rain they'll bring in their paths.
It could be worse. In July, in a Kansas garden, I just keep telling myself ,"it could be worse." At least I don't want to trade places with the cart-person at Walmart yet. And I've got a great thriving stand of crabgrass.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
For the Bees, You See
Today, I'll show you why, in photos instead of my usual wordy rambling, that I handpick the Japanese beetles off my roses. All the photos are taken the same lovely morning.
No insecticides in my garden on anything that blooms. I eliminated the bagworms by removing the junipers. I'm letting the melyridaes make minimal and merry damage on whatever they want. And I'll put up with momentarily holding a few squirming Japanese beetles in my palm to hear the music of the bees in my garden. How could anyone possibly take a chance on hurting these wholly-innocent and innocently-beautiful creatures? Here, Mr. Bumble is visiting delicious 'Snow Pavement'.
No insecticides in my garden on anything that blooms. I eliminated the bagworms by removing the junipers. I'm letting the melyridaes make minimal and merry damage on whatever they want. And I'll put up with momentarily holding a few squirming Japanese beetles in my palm to hear the music of the bees in my garden. How could anyone possibly take a chance on hurting these wholly-innocent and innocently-beautiful creatures? Here, Mr. Bumble is visiting delicious 'Snow Pavement'.
And here, another bee almost covers the private parts of this delicately-veined 'Applejack'.
Fru Dagmar Hastrup' entertains and feeds this street urchin. Look at that perfectly formed bloom against fabulous foliage here in the middle of summer and scorching sun.
Fru's short, nearby gentleman friend, 'Charles Albanel' allows another bumble deep into his double petals. Charles doesn't make as many hips as Fru Dagmar, but he shows off more while he's in flower.
Okay, it's not a rose, it's a Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird', to be exact. But it also has its part in feeding the bees in my garden.
One more of 'Snow Pavement'. I'm going to write about 'Snow Pavement' more soon, as she is reaching her mature height and presentation in my garden.. In the meantime, I'll leave you with her soft pink blooms while you contemplate how you're helping the bee species in your garden.
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