Botany, Travel, and Art, Oh My!
What is foxglove? Why is it important? What does it do or not do? And why is it called “foxglove” of all things?
It should be a surprise to none that humans have a tendency to concoct often fantastical narratives about their surroundings, some of which have connections to the foxglove, as we’ll explore in a few moments.
“In a bid to “save the economy,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stopped enforcing environmental laws. According to these newly relaxed regulations, businesses failing to meet previous standards of public health and environmental security will not be fined, penalized, or subject to any civil penalties, wrote Knickmeyer, of the Associated Press. Many of these businesses are from the oil and gas industry and are often routinely cited for dumping hazardous materials already.”
Today, we’re talking about the only plant to currently have “rainbow” in its scientific designation: The Arctostaphylos rainbowensis, or Rainbow Manzanita. This dicot shrub is native and endemic to California (4,5), existing exclusively in the far southern portion of the state, specifically between northern San Diego to southern Riverside counties.
Hail and well met, everyone!
So, I’ve been posting here and uploading largely separate content on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/Ethnobotanicam). I’m experimenting with still posting on the various platforms I currently use (Youtube, Instagram and the like), but cross-posting here as a method of aggregating all my botanical content into one place. Let me know what you think. Have a fab day, everyone, and happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Kate
Water is party to all things, dear reader. While all Earth-dwelling embodied lifeforms have their own characteristics, goals, needs, and expectations of their environments, water is a common necessity they all share. Without proper hydration, the brain's receptors stop interpreting and correlating information and general organ failure occurs, plants are unable to photosynthesize, and moisture continues to evaporate from the body at a rather high rate.
Have you ever noticed, dear reader, how a an unbalanced, top-heavy thing is prone to collapsing? Some things are balanced by having a flat base on which to build, brick structures forming in orderly fashion. Some have a reasonably stable base and overall structure, but topple when the weather or environment changes.
In honor of today being Earth Day, I thought I would share some of my earliest memories of ecology and the need for ecoactivism. Some of you might remember the 1992 film, Fern Gully; some of you likely weren't yet born. I didn't know there was a sub-header for it until I was looking up information again, but it's "The Last Rainforest."
