Galium: Invertebrate of the Year Candidate

There are more than 2000 species of fireflies in the world. I nominate all the ones around here whatever they are. One day I will make friends with an insect freakazoid who will help me identifiy ours. The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction that gives light is LUCIFERASE, named after Lord Voldemort.

Galium: Season checkllist

It is now June 16th and we are in the 5th season of the year. Here is a recap for those of you (and that includes every other human being on the face of the earth except me) who have lost track.

1. Amelanchier (March 26)
2. Taraxacum (April 21)
3. Sweet Vernal Grass (May 10)
4. Viburnum (May 27)
5. Galium (June 10)

Great Weed #6 Bishop's Weed

http://www.ehow.com/how_16306_grow-bishops-weed.html

There's a dumb web site.

Aegopodium podograria, the scourage of gardens, one of nature's most useful and most insidious weeds. It's dominance in June is unparalleled among weeds but only in gardens--go figure. Also call goutweed, as it was used in the year 1000 for just about everything but let's face it, science wasn't exactly on the front burner in the Dark Age.

I have a hill here that is pure bishop's weed in June. An amazing and actually delicate plant. When you weed whack it you get sprayed with juice.

Great Weed #5 Rosa multiflora

Well, at least we don't have blackthorn.

Invertebrate of the Year Nominee: Whitetail

This is our first nominee for Invertebrate of the Year. This is the whitetail dragonfly, Plathemis lydia.

This from William T. Hathaway: The male White-tailed Dragonfly is easy to identify because of its bright white abdomen. Another interesting characteristic is its habit of resting with head facing down while wings are drooping in a forward position. The white abdomen is held in a raised position.

Galium

On or about the 10th day of June, you just can't deny that summer has arrived--it arrives in our world as the season called Galium. Galium is the genus of bedstraw. Its foamy, creamy flowers can turn whole fields, ah, foamy and creamy. Of great importance is Galium mulligo.

At the commencement of Galium the legumes go wild. All of the clovers (or many of them) are up, Lotus corniculatus, the bird's foot trefoil, Melilotus alba, and the black medic Medicago lupulia. And though it may seem that summer is all about legumes, it is Galium that gives its name to the season, Galium with its four parted flowers of the Rubiaceae.

Summer has come to Spencertown.

"Spring: Theirs and Ours

Let us review the seasons so far, because our summer is right around the corner;

March 21 to June 5

Their (stupid) idea of Spring
Spring
and this ends on June 21? no way!
Who are "they" you ask. Druid Astronomers!

Our idea (less stupid) of Spring
Amelanchier
Taraxacum
Sweet Vernal Grass
Viburnum