The Drama Builds

As I mentioned back on the 14th, my Amorphophallus konjac has decided it't going to bloom before I can stick it and all it's putrid beauty outdoors. As of this moment it's gotten 20" inches taller, four of those inches in the last day. I'm scared.

The Calendar Says It's Spring

And the garden agrees. At least a few Crocus and Helleborus do.

Blue Skies/Blue Birds

Today I FINALLY got out to do some hiking and birding. It seems like the last few weekends have been either too cold or too wet or both to get out. I went to three different locations and purposely let it just be an enjoyable outing without any counting or listing taking over as the focus. I did, however, swear that I would get at least one picture of a bird, however common, however bad. As I was thinking about leaving my last location I decided I could settle for one of the Mallards sitting in the lake or even the American Robin I found in a playground. Then, as is almost always the case, I get a satisfying sighting just as I'm ready to go home. Walking back to the parking lot I caught a bit of burbling chirping behind me. There, up in the top of a tree was the source of the sound.

Soon it took off and flew toward me along the edge of the prairie.

It was soon joined by another as they were making an inspection of a nesting box.

My first Eastern Bluebirds of the year! I'm taking this as an official declaration that Spring is here.

What Was I Thinking?

A few weeks ago I purchased a nice, blooming-size Amorphophallus konjac tuber at a garden expo. I've grown this species for years and while my plants enjoy reproducing vegetatively with offsets they don't seem particularly interested in growing big tubers that will flower. This one is obviously going to flower because when I got it the bud was already a few inches above the tuber. Now, I know full well that as a fly-pollinated species A. konjac attracts it little winged matchmakers by smelling like carrion. Of the species I have, A. dunnii is the only one that has flowered with any regularity and it actually smells OK--a little closer to what we think of as "floral." It also has always flowered in late spring or summer. I didn't follow the thought to the logical conclusion until my friend, Matt pointed it out to me: this puppy is going to flower before the weather is warm enough to put it outside. A week ago it seemed to perk up and resume its flower formation. Today it's 10.5" and growing. Will I find a suitable place for it when the bloom opens and fills the air with a rotten stench? Will it catch me off guard making our home smell like roadkill? (This once happened with a Typhonium. Not recommended.) Stay tuned for further floral developments.

Which Wren? Not a Wren! It's a Brown Creeper

UPDATE: We have a winner! It's not me. The bird is a Brown Creeper, one possibility that briefly crossed my mind but I immediately dismissed because I thought they were bigger. Thanks so much to all the helpful people who responded to my inquiry!

It's wet and dreary out so I decided to try to photograph a Black-capped Chickadee perching photogenically in the climbing hydrangea. Seeing a small bird hopping up the side of the oak tree I first assumed it was a White-breasted Nuthatch. But it was brown! It's some kind of wren but I don't know which. According to eBird I can expect Carolina Wrens this time of year and it may be too early for House, Sedge or Marsh Wrens--probably the wrong habitat for some of those, too. It doesn't look like a Winter Wren to me which is another possibility. Sorry for the quality of the photos. It's not very sunny today and I was shooting from inside the house so it wouldn't be spooked.

Because They Don't Know the Words

Feeling like I haven't posted anything about birds lately I dug into my photos from last month's trip and found this pretty little thing. It's a Speckled Hummingbird (Adelomyia melanogenys)I had the privilege of watching at a cloud forest lodge in Ecuador. Where I live, we only have one hummingbird that you can count on seeing with any frequency, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris.) It's a gorgeous bird but suffers from the same indiginity as the Speckled Hummingbird--a relatively plain name. Many of their South American cousins have been granted beautiful and evocative names like Sylph, Woodstar, Sun Angel, Emerald and Brilliant. Watching these flying jewels it's easy to understand how even the most dedicated ornithologist could be swept up in their beauty and stray into the realm of poetry when naming them.

To see some great Ecuadoran hummingbirds LIVE! visit this webcam. The more visitors they get the sooner they can upgrade to full screen view with sound!

(In case you don't know it, the title of this post is the punchline to a classic joke "Why do hummingbirds hum?")

Environmentally Grown?

Yesterday was the kind of snowy day when it's just nice to stay in. So I sent my co-conspirator off to the store for supplies. One of the items he brought home was a bag of potatoes. Usually we try to buy organic produce, especially potatoes. These were displayed under sign that said "Environmentally Grown" and were at least semi-local coming from the northern part of the state. That was enough to gain his interest so into the cart they went.

It turns out the Environmentally Grown label comes from Food Alliance, a non-profit that provides a certification program for farmers, ranchers and food handlers. It is not an organic certification. Their scope of interest is different from that covered by the current government definition of organic agriculture. Over the last several years organic agriculture has evolved. Originally the avoidance of chemical fertilizers and pesticides was not only a means of producing healthier food, but it also had the side benefits of protecting adjacent ecosystems, reducing farmers' production costs and preserving cropland. As consumers became more interested in their own health than the environment's it became easy for "organic" to become the marketing buzzword it is today. Entry of the largest agribusiness interests in the United States and abroad into the organic market has provided us with year-round access to flavorless tomatoes that might have been grown without pesticides! The benefits are dubious when such a narrow definition of environmental (and social? individual?) health is the basis for standards. Social and ecological good as a byproduct of organic practices can't be counted on anymore.

Food Alliance's certification goes beyond federal organic certification. It encompasses worker rights and safety, the humane treatment of animals, protection of wildlife and other practices that add up to a more holistic model of sustainability. Do I trust the not-entirely-organic certification program of a non-profit more than the not-entirely-organic program of the U.S. government? Sure. Why not? Even with literacy restored to the Oval Office this year, I'm doubtful of Washington's ability to get something this important right. One need only look at the last couple of versions of the USDA's food pyramid to see how agricultural lobbyists are able to trump good nutritional science. I'm pleased to have the Environmentally Grown label for assessing the food I might buy. I see the Food Alliance certification as sitting between the national organic standard and my practice of buying locally from farmers I can know in terms of trust. In any case, the potatoes tasted pretty good.