Don't Kill the Messenger

From "Grist", an article about how human psychology affects the reception of the message about climate change...and how to best deliver the message, without being put away.
Climate Psychology

And for possibly the best one volume book on the science of climate change, see "The Weather Makers", by Tim Flannery. Also, Flannery discussing his latest book, "Now Or Never", on MN Public Radio on Nov. 3, 2009.

Finally, possibly one of the most effective things a person can do to reduce their carbon footprint; stop eating animals ! See Jonathan Safron Foer's interview with Ellen Degeneres about his new book.

Don't think that Climate Change is really happening? Or that it's not human induced? It's time for you to present your science on why not...what facts are you basing your decision on? Are they tested facts? Have they been peer-reviewed? Are they demonstrable and repeatable? Because this is how real science works. Facts. Data. Repetiton. Peer-Review. If your story doesn't have these, it's probably not science.

Finally, why am I blabbing about climate change on this quaint little blog about native plants? Because it is one of the most important (yes, in my opinion) issues affecting our families in the human history of the planet. I wish that people would try to educate themselves on this topic from a scientific, not political point of view. Find out what the vast majority of scientists think about the issue. Take off the blinders of cultural and political denial. It's happening, and we're doing it, and it will bite us all hard if we don't do something different.

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon flows through the environments of Earth, always has, always will. But how much? The amounts that humans continue to add with all our combustion for energy use are not only intensifying the heat increasing "Greenhouse Effect", but are also causing ocean waters to become more acidic, to the harm of all oceanic creatures, great and small. Watch the new short film, "Acid Test", by the Natural Resources Defense Council, to see what's happening and how we might choose to be kinder to ourselves in the near and longer term future.

Acid Test

And pass it along !

Another Little Plant Sale

Both the sale and the plants are little ! I still have some native plants available that need to find their way out into the greater world. Come and help them venture forth! Stop by my house on Saturday, August 29, between 10:30 am and 1 pm. E-mail me for my address: srczak@hotmail.com
The plants are mostly in 2" pots and are native to MN or the Midwest. They will be $2.00 ea. with some kind of discounts for volume, though there aren't many left.

Here are what remain:

Showy Tick Trefoil about 28
Sweet Joe Pye Weed a couple
Jacob's Ladder 8
Culver's Root 12
New England Aster 8
Ninebark (shrub) 13 green and 5 red (offspring of 'Diablo')
Ground Plum 4
Prairie Blazing Star 8
Purple Prairie Clover a couple
Bottle Gentian 10
Butterfly Weed 6
Prairie Coreopsis 8

sorry, no botanical names this post, it's late and I'm tired ! I'll give 'em to you if you show up.

plus a few other species you could get me to dig out of my yard for $5.00 ea. as these are at least in their second year, and a clump, not a single plant.
also, about 3 surprise species of native shrub I would dig up for $10. ea as these are about 4 or 5 yrs old that were planted bare root about 3 yrs ago.

Hope to see you.....................Thanks !

Lots of Yellow and Some Blue

Agastache foeniculum, Anise hyssop; yummy smell, if you like black licorice !

Liatris aspera, Button Blazing Star; blooming from the top down, just like a Blazing Star

Rudbeckia laciniata, Wild Golden Glow

Rudbeckia fulgida, Orange Coneflower, but not 'Goldsturm'........striking !

Ratibida pinnata, Yellow, or Gray-Headed Coneflower, Hula skirts !

Native Plant Sale 8.22 & 23

Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa

I will have a plant sale of Native Minnesota/Midwestern plants this coming weekend, Saturday & Sunday August 22 & 23 from 10 am to 1 pm in my yard in Minneapolis. E-mail me for my address if you want to take a look.

The plants are growing in 2" or 4" pots. The 2" pots will be $2.00 each and the 4" will be $3.00 each. If you buy a whole flat of plants (18 x 4" or 36 x 2" in a flat) you can take them away for just $50.00.

Here's a list of all the plants available: (note both the common and botanical names for each plant; if you search the web for details about any of them, be sure to use the botanical name as it will get you more precise results)

Here are the plants followed by the number of each (in no particular order):

Showy Tick Trefoil Desmodium canadense-- 32

Sweet Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum --10

Jacob's Ladder Polemonium reptans-- 20

Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum-- 12

New England Aster Aster novae angliae-- 16

Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius (shrub)-- 24

Ground Plum Astragalus crassicarpus-- 12

Missouri Evening Primrose Oenothera macrocarpa-- 8

Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pychnostachya-- 12

Purple Prairie Clover Petalostemum purpureum

aka Dalea purpurea-- 9

Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii-- 20

Purple Milkweed Asclepias purpurascens-- 20

Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa-- 28

Asclepias ??? Unknown spp milkweed from Hudson, WI-- 24

Blue Wild Indigo Baptisia australis-- 5

Lead Plant Amorpha canescans-- 6

Prairie Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata-- 10

If you want to dig up pictures and info about these and other species, I'll recommend 2 places here that have a wealth of information:

First is Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona, MN;

and the other is the Native Plant Information Network at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX.

I'll be happy to see you this weekend ! Stop by just to take a look at my yard if you like...

Again, e-mail me for my address......Thanks, Scott.

Leadplant and Milkweed

This is a running milkweed, either Asclepias Syriaca, Common Milkweed, or Asclepias speciosa, Showy Milkweed, I've forgotten which.

Leadplant, Amorpha canescens develops a very deep taproot and can become over 4 feet tall with woody stems.

Grasses

On the top is Elymus canadensis, Canada Wild Rye, and the bottom picture is Bottle Brush Grass, Hystrix patula. Both can handle full or part sun and are easy to grow from seed.