On Naming Trees...

A couple of weeks back we all journeyed out to northern California, where among other things we took in the mighty Pacific and mighty trees - specifically the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Such sights drastically confounded my normal sense of scale, and after a little while on the trail I simply abandoned the idea of trying to photograph these trees - and zeroed in on the scenery that was a little closer:

Forest floor, coast redwood grove.

Thanks to a kind tip from the folks at the hardware store in Mendocino, we hit the road to hike among old growth trees that were in the same general size range as the Hyperion tree - recently tweeted by the Biodiversity Heritage Library:

Tallest #tree towers over #StatueOfLiberty http://t.co/O8KRVTffHe Historical record in BHL http://t.co/bfz1fDf3Lx pic.twitter.com/hcQ9cVUxyZ

— BHL (@BioDivLibrary) September 1, 2015

It's difficult not to get swept up in the wonder of which tree (was, until 2010) considered the tallest tree on Earth.  However, these individual trees are not marked - and really, after about a mile or so in we lost count of the trees that may have been the local champ, as the trees seemed to just get bigger and bigger.

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Upon returning home I began teaching a plant identification class.  I suppose I look forward to this more than my new students - some of whom are wading for the first time into the world of plant names.  I recognize the challenge of this, and so over the past couple weeks we have started with the basics.  I believe that everyone has some intuitive knowledge of naming plants, a knowledge that begins at childhood and accumulates in almost a subconscious way.  I think that we often underestimate this lifelong understanding - but having access to these personal memories of the plants of our past is a great foundation for any future explorations in botanic nomenclature.

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All of this plant naming business came to a head today when I read this touching and funny tree-related essay about a recent memorial celebrating the life of the greatly missed writer Alexander Cockburn:

The Alexander Cockburn Tree, with celebrants. Image Credit CounterPunch.

Scientists have verified that this enormous Blue gum tree (Eucalyptus globulus) - near Cockburn's final resting place - has world-record circumference and will be known henceforth as the Alexander Cockburn Tree!  It's gratifying to know that to many, this particular (Very Big) tree will now occupy a place in their hearts and memories that goes well beyond a scientific name in a textbook or a random tree in a meadow. 

"This is where we walked, this is where we swam..."   

- Cuyahoga, R.E.M.

The secret of the seal, under the trees...

One of the reasons that I love the work I do is that the natural world offers an unending capacity for surprise. Even in this corner of the world that is seemingly more pavement than greenery there are remarkable organisms - hanging on by a thread.  On a job site I recently came across a plant I had never seen in the field before: Golden Seal.

Golden Seal (Hydrastis canadensis)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I have not seen this before, as it has apparently been over-harvested for it's purported value in folk medicine. This little stand of plants was growing quite happily on private land - where there is an owner that is committed to restoring this area and removing invasive species.

Locally, the Plants of Concern project has Golden Seal listed on it's roster of plants that are being monitored.  One of the keys to future preservation of such plants is secrecy. It's not far-fetched to imagine that if this plant were on public land it would be gone by now. As it is today, on private property, under the care of a concerned homeowner - these plants have a fighting chance.

It's worth noting also that these plants were seen in an area that had a fair number of invasive plants in their vicinity. At the first glance, it was a landscape that wouldn't normally appear to hold such surprises. As always, tread carefully and keep those eyes open!