The Long Hot Summer

Campaigning for the 2016 presidential nomination has already begun. Most of the interest has been directed toward the Republican Party, which is on track to field some three dozen potential candidates. Over on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton looks more inevitable as each day goes by.

It should hardly be necessary to point out that this is an extremely important election for those of us who are concerned about sustainability. Although the Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act were championed by Republicans, most of us realize that today's Republican party is a far cry from what it was in the 1970s.

The most distinctive characteristic of the current GOP is its near-total abandonment of respect for science and scientific inquiry. Climate change is the most egregious case, with creepy James Imhofe leading the Senate committte with the greatest power to influence American climate policy. Imhofe is among those who claim climate change is an organized scientific hoax. (He obviously has little acquaintance with actual scientists, who are less easily herded than cats.) No surprise that he represents a state where fossil fuels fuel the economy.

And this is the problem to which I have previously alluded. Taking your own bags to the grocery and recycling your aluminum cans will not save our planet. The real problems are far more fundamental, and are grounded in our resistance to adopt new ways of doing things. It has certainly not helped that vested financial interests have done everything possible to thwart environmental activists, even as many large corporations spend money to preserve wildlife habitat, promote ecological research, and so forth. All the while, fracking wells continue to sprout, research on battery technology limps along with a few hundred millions in private capital, the Antarctic ice sheet continues to melt, and species continue to slip toward extinction at  rate unprecedented across geologic time.

My point is not that we should stop recycling or taking our own bags to the grocery. Rather, we must not allow the "feel good" aspect of these actions to blind us to the real problems: our overconsumption of fossil fuels, our seeming indifference to obvious and growing ecological problems, and the unfortunate willingness on the part of too many Americans to reject the advice of our best scientific minds. And all of this, most unfortunately, is encouraged on a daily basis by conservative politicians and the right wing echo chamber that now passes for "news media."

It is going to be a long, hot summer.

Save the Monarchs!

One of the many pleasures of gardening is watching the butterflies that visit our flowers. Like so many other wild things, our local butterflies appear to be in trouble. The number and variety of species that I see dwindles each year. There has been a noticeable shift from larger species, such as the fritillaries, to smaller, more nondescript one, such as skippers. This shift may reflect the shift in vegetative cover in this area from deciduous woods to open fields, and the loss of habitat to development.

Yesterday, a disturbing report  revealed that the population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) has crashed in the last decade. Mexican scientists report that wintering populations that previously covered 50 acres of trees this season covered only 3 acres. Several possible reasons for this sharp decline, all related to human activity, have been proposed.

One explanation for the serious decline in the numbers of this beautiful butterfly may lie in the severe summer heat and drought that has been experienced in the central and southern states in recent years. The unusual weather patterns may result from climate change.

Another possible factor is the loss of habitat in Mexico, where the butterflies spend the winter, due to logging.

A third possibility is the widespread use of GMO crops, specifically "Roundup Ready" soybeans in the United States. The genetically engineered soybeans are unaffected by the herbicide, glyphosate, making it possible for farmers to almost completely eliminate milkweed from their fields. Milkweed is the food plant for the monarch's caterpillar. Adult monarchs feed on a variety of nectar plants, but the caterpillars will only survive on milkweeds.

Tennessee has 13 species of milkweeds, including butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) and common milkweed (A. syriaca). These three are often available in garden centers that carry native plants. Several of our other species have showy flowers and could be valuable garden plants, also. Milkweed seeds germinate readily and the plants are easy to care for, in my experience. Many have a pleasant fragrance, as well.

For a small donation, you can receive milkweed seeds appropriate for planting in your garden from this web site, LiveMonarch.comhttp://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm

Our local garden centers, including Stanley's Greenhouses, Ellenburg's Nursery, and Mayo Garden Centers, all offer Asclepias plants among their perennials flowers. You can also often find a tropical species, A. curassavica, which won't overwinter here but will charm you with its fiery red and yellow blooms.

Milkweed seed pods are among the most familiar sites along our back roads in late summer and early fall. You can harvest a few seeds from wild plants and grow them out at home. Wait until the pod has split and seeds are being released to collect them. Sow immediately outdoors, marking the spot well, and look for seedlings the following April or May. Transplant them to their permanent location, water well, and wait. They will bloom in their second or third season, depending upon the species and growing conditions.

Appropriate growing conditions for milkweeds depend on the species. Swamp milkweed, as you might guess, likes moist places. I see the flowers shining among other types of foliage in roadside ditches that hold water. Butterflyweed, on the other hand, likes dry, sharply drained sites. I have seen beautiful specimens growing out of crushed limestone fill on roadside embankments. Common milkweed seems to prefer average moisture and soil conditions, no doubt accounting for its widespread distribution.

This spring, why not add a few milkweed plants to your garden to help feed the monarchs?