Walkabout in China
As told to me by the taxi cab drivers, cafeteria restaurant workers, roadside farmers at their stands, businessmen and their wives, and personal observations
what do y’all know about China of recent years?
Sometimes I listen or watch the international news
whether it is a left leaning source like the New York Times out of New York
Washington Post and NPR out of Washington DC
or a right wing outlet like Fox News, also based out of NY
Once in awhile when I tune in, this is what I learn about China and the Chinese:
They are a bunch of heathens who don’t believe in the freedom of anybody
They torture muslims and lock em up
They hassle the dalai lama, and kill the compassionate Buddhists
They go after the hong kong protesters
Their state religion is socialism or communism, which is atheist
they do not acknowledge the one God
Another view is that
Chinese want to take over
They are trying to become the number one country of the world
They are claiming the south China sea, bullying Taiwan
Buying up land all over, making harbors into military bases
building infrastructure in Africa
setting up factories throughout SE Asia
making a whole economic zone from there to the middle east including all the -stans, and so on
Last one is that they are a bunch of drug dealers
They are selling chemicals to the cartels, fueling the opiate trade, feeding the addiction, ruining our cities
For sure there is more details and perspectives, but that is the gist of things

Well, I know next to zero about politics or machinations at the highest levels
That is way outa my realm of knowledge comprising mostly of plants and bugs
Figure we are just pieces on a chess board for presidents and sheiks, emperors and prime ministers, and all their counselors deputies and background bosses
For all I know, the news is probably all true
I give the media outlets the benefit of the doubt, is alright, I’m a believer
Anyhow, went to China for a lil visit, been some years
Sat around a barbecue of lamb kebabs and had a drink with the locals
Went here and there in taxis hailed from the side of the road
Gawked at mystery fruits and bargained in markets
smoked one Chinese cigarette of tobacco
The following cluster of essays emerged from these conversations of questions back and forth
Tales that they told me, or that they tell themselves
They are in some cases conglomerations of many voices for ease of reading
And in other cases, they may have been slightly embellished by the teller, such are stories
its not the official news, not any party’s line, not fantasy stuff of movies and TV
its just a pair of ears and eyes on the ground level is all
They are presented here for your enjoyment and for your information –
Another view of the ching chong ching chong Chiiiiiiiiii – neeeeeese

Surveillance and safety
Yes the borders are secured. From the moment you go in, check point after check point. Fingerprints scanned. Data in the computer. Go take a subway – show your passport, metal detectors. Buy a ticket for the train – show your ID and your ticket two more times before the train leaves the station. Go to the center of the city at a big intersection, before you cross the street – stop, show your ID. Cameras – everywhere. Cops – everywhere. Some look like they are about 14 years old, in black uniform. No they got no guns or tasers, just big long four foot sticks and riot shields. But, there’s a lot of them, constant presence traveling in pairs or large herds. That is not to mention the plain clothes police too which I don’t know what they look like cause they are in plain clothes. They are for sure around somewhere…LOL. So, you are watched, but you are also safe. Old ladies, little kids, anytime of the day or night, walk around just fine. Ride an electric bike at 1 am, not a problem. You not gonna get robbed, beaten, smacked down. No gun point funny business, no graffiti, no homeless sleepin on the sidewalk, no smell of urine and kaka. No crazed drug fueled eyes muttering nonsense, garbage strewed all over, broken auto glass on the road. Once in a while, you got some country bumpkin new to the city, spitting in public, but not much, not like in the old days. Smokers are few and discrete – frowned upon, again, not visible in public spaces. They are tucked away in an emergency stairwell, or by the outhouse puffin away. Country moving up, looking more like its clean and orderly prosperous Asian neighbors Singapore or Tokyo.

Electronic economy and internet
Tried to buy a bun at a roadside food stall, she wouldn’t take my paper money, she only took payment by phone and QR codes. I left hungry… Most places do still accept the RMB ren ming bi (people currency = cash) but got to fish for change cause the frequency of use decreasing. My VISA card doesn’t work, they don’t accept it. My phone apps like wassup and search engines like google don’t work either even though the AT& T telecommunication carrier plan was supposed to provide the coverage. Blocked. I know there are ways around it, but I declined. It is fine I don’t really miss the constant notifications, spam calls, and surveillance feedback all that much. Lady says one time she forgot her phone and wallet, went to buy something. It was okay, because they just scanned her face and subtracted the cash from her account anyways. Facial recognition, banks, records, its all connected. Again, for some people this is called convenient and efficient (the future), for other people it is cringy overreach, lack of privacy (the dystopia), and they want to hide in a bunker and prep for the end of days. G luck, have fun.

News and information
Well, they can tell I am not from there. But they are also not used to tourists in that area and not sure if my accent is from being from another Chinese province (a Chinese province being similar to an American state), or if I am a foreigner. Once I tell them I am from America then the chatting gets earnest, and you can feel the heat in the rubbing palms. Not everybody likes America because they are scared of Americans. Others don’t really care cause it is a faraway country that has little impact on their daily lives. They have better and more immediate things to worry about. A few of the younger folks think America is filled with rich people who live better lives than the Chinese. Some people are mildly curious about the state of affairs in the US of A but realize that in their lifetimes they are unlikely to make it here or anywhere else outside of Chinese borders, so it is out of sight out of mind. Who cares.

Some people tell me that they know everything about America cause its all in their well-informed international news – there is constant gun violence, and the streets are dirty. We are stacked to the teeth with arms and intend to invade China. One taxi driver liked Trump because he owns hotels and has two hands to maneuver himself out of awkward positions (a Chinese colloquialism meaning he has ‘ability’), and his nephew is smart because he is Jewish. Because all Jews are like Einstein. Funny. Another driver was convinced that videos of Biden are fakes, and that the pres. was actually out back sleeping not giving a speech. Funny. Keep in mind these are commoners like myself that don’t really know what is going on or who is running things. Mostly they just laugh and shrug. It is like they recognize that there is manipulation and falsehood but accept it with a smile. They don’t get bummed out about it. Its like okay whats new.

Religion and belief
Technically there is just the one religion which is socialism communism and the state itself. Folks recognize this system as coming from the west, from the Soviets, so it is not an indigenous religion so to speak. Nevertheless, the government is wary of further inroads made by ‘western foreigners’ such as the Christians – both Catholics as well as protestants. Just a few years back Christian education for those under 18 was officially banned, so no Sunday School or youth groups that sort of thing. Chinese party doctrine and education only! This isn’t to say that groups don’t meet in secret in office spaces for a worship service, or that the government is going to bust in on you like a bunch of storm troopers and drag y’all off to jail. Its not that bad. You can talk all the messianic diatribes you want; they are keeping tabs on you. Remember that the cell phone is also a tracking and listening device. Now, if you start taking action, or want to foment a revolution, then the noose tightens, and you will get a slightly reprimanding text asking you to love your country. Not joking.

Buddhists are sorta in the same situation but are a little bit more tolerated since its source is closer to home, and its antiquity goes back further in time. So, the government is not tearing down the pagodas, temples nor the churches, especially if they are historically important, but they are not building new ones either. Nevertheless, there is this void in a human being when they do not address the spirit and only rely upon the material. That is a hungry ghost that is never full. The somewhat more well to do Chinese feel this acutely. They like “Do you provide for your kids?” I say “I say I help ‘em what I can but try to instill a sense of independence and work ethic, so that they can make it on their own. That is how we do it in America”. They say “Oh no no no, Chinese parents got to buy a car for their kid, a house for their kid, lavish wedding, etc.” There is still the dowry. The whole nine yards. It is tiresome but the peer pressure is strong in that regard. The striving middle class dilemma. Many households already have two cars, now what? Real estate is the same everywhere worldwide, priced higher and higher out of reach of regular workers. Pricey even for a bit of small square footage in a forty-story apartment building. Back to the grind. You never have enough, its built into the system…

This idea of a universal God and creation is a Christian motif that does have appeal. It appeals to a people stuck in a money centric economy and world view that is either dog eating dog (yes I did write that haha) or based solely on things you ‘have to do and adhere to’. That is the well-regulated Confucian system of old. Love?! – that is a neat and novel concept! Funny. One Chinese Catholic tells me that “God is love is all,” That is why he set up charities, old folks homes, etc. because that is the way, he is following God’s commandment. Traditional old time Chinese royalty may have frowned upon this sort of behavior and thought process. But then again, back in the day, tradition and obligation ruled supreme, no one spoke out of turn, and the basic unit was a family of three, or if lucky, four generations all under the same roof. You must have some kind of organizing structure or philo- sophy that keeps family and societal dynamics from spinning and peeling off into chaos.

Farmer tells me, “We are descendants of the dragon”, not joking, in all seriousness. Not belief or faith, not make-believe imagination. So, there is still that group in most of the countryside. They are like pagans of old, they have not gone away. In reference to a sacred mountain and the mountain gods that live there, and in response to if the gods will answer your prayers and requests, taxi cab driver says, “If you believe it, it works, if you don’t, it doesn’t.” Simple logic like that.

Hierarchy and behavior
What wild west Americans have a hard time seeing is how old and how domesticated the Chinese are in relation to history. They have had a strong central command for four to five thousands of years. Its hard to suddenly switch to a democracy or a republic where you have a say or some kind of ‘representation’. Good luck to commoners trying to sack the palace, seize power with a coup d’etat, or ‘protest’. Basically, if you obey that is good, if you do not then it is off with your head. Know your place. Bow. Submit. Fear and respect. All that. Plus over time there is the constant battle for supremacy at the higher levels. That is what happens when the emperor unites the whole kingdom and then kills off his own best war lord generals to consolidate power and ensure that his reign is secure. That is the whole thing with the art of war and strategy. There is not just one contingency back up plan, there might be a dozen.

Furthermore, as part of this nationalistic unification in ancient times, every citizen had to learn this crazy complicated language of characters in their formal years of schooling. If they were fortunate enough to have a teacher. The ante has only increased in modern times. The writing system is not based on alphabets, it is rote memorization of around five thousand squarish figures that makes you mildly literate, not even well educated, just the basics. Nowadays all the kids also must learn English. The national exams happened this year over a course of four days in early June. Super intense. Streets closed, everyone on high alert. A handful of exams that determine the fate of your future. College, connections, networks that sort of thing. In the old times, as well as today, this is how there was social mobility, and a person of bright intellect could test and advance to become a civil service servant, a bureaucrat official. This can have a bit of a negative connotation here in the States – that being a sit around lazy government worker or a talk lies politician. But in China, if you come from a poor family that struggles to feed itself, getting a spot to wear a silk costume, push papers and sign documents is like hitting the lottery. You are pride and joy and rewarded for being smart. You no longer have to labor on the farm in the hot sun and dirty manure soil anymore. You are not stuck, you can go places. Suppose the parallel or analogy here would be making it big in hollywood or in some major league sports team or franchise.

Businessman says, “In China, if a higher up or boss asks something of you, you always say yes. Doesn’t matter if you agree or not, if you can do it or not, whatever. Say Yes.” That is how to keep your head from rolling. That is called obeying the hierarchy. It’s like being in the military but in day-to-day life all the time. Well, what you do or have to do after that to accomplish the task, how many red envelope bribes you have to gently put in the palm of a hand, how many bottles of liquor and whores you have to send in as part of the deal. That is another story. Always say yes. Truth be damned. No direct confrontation. There is that culture here too, but more so in some sectors than in others. When you stifle that discussion and flow of ideas back and forth, sometimes innovation and healthy growth suffer as well.

Cost of living, pension and retirement
Well, it is super cheap to live in China, especially the further out from city center you go. A fifteen-minute taxi ride across town cost you about 2 bucks. A fine meal of a ten-course lunch for ten people probably run you about seventy bucks US. Seven dollars a person! A super high end seafood banquet for six with lobster, scallop, a whole fish, abalone, shrimp, and about ten other dishes run you about $180. That is thirty dollars per person. Food wise, you can get by on millet gruel, pickled vegetables, and an egg or two for nothing at all. The most expensive hotel in the small town is about the price of a motel six here or cheaper, like $70 dollars or so. It’s got the massive marble lobby and staircase, extravagant bronze statues, out of this world water fountain feature, fifty-foot-tall chandeliers, 100 item buffet all you can eat breakfast, and obsequious staff. But the coffee might be so so for the American palette. That is not their forte. Getting by is not a problem. The government gives everybody a pension. Housing too if you are needy. The age for retirement for a laborer is 50. 50 cause physical work is hard. Then you get some money that is enough to live on, but not enough to start splurging or traveling abroad or anything like that. Office workers, professors and such retire at 60 or so and of course government officials can stay on the job and keep collecting till they are 80 or more hahahaha.

So, then what do you do with your time once you are 50 and retired? Well, many of them like to go fishing down at the river. The sign says that it is illegal, but it is not enforced. Many of the bigger fish are in the middle of the river but most people just fish off the banks with a twenty-foot cane pole and a bobber. You have to pull away the algae growing at the edge of the banks to get your bait and lure into the water at the proper depth. The fish they catch is a dinky little thing that looks like a riverine perch, and I am told it is tasty. You don’t have to buy no license or pay no fees, just go to the river. The river is mostly green with clear patches. It is not the cleanest high mountain stream but it is moving and not nasty either of smell or garbage. Its alright.

As for hunting, nobody hunts. Nobody has guns or bows or anything like that. All wild animals are protected – birds, frogs, feral pigs, rabbits, deer all that. Imagine a billion Chinese people scouring the wild for food – not a good idea. That would be total decimation and destruction. I was told that you can get a gun illegally by ordering the parts separately and putting it together yourself. But that is mostly just for the underworld folks doing illegal things like running drugs. And that it is not a good idea. Likely get tracked and caught. If you are not fishing you are likely sitting at a tea table with your fellow retiree friends cracking pumpkin seeds, playing cards, knitting, or kicking a shuttlecock around. Enjoying the good life so to speak after working so hard. Another common activity is to go traveling throughout the country in the summertime when the children have a break from school. It is more difficult and expensive to leave the country but there is a lot of China within to see and do. Get on a high-speed train and go, there’s almost like 30,000 miles of track that goes everywhere for pretty cheap price. Just gets crowded is all. And hot cause it is summer.

Progress and nature
The air is a lot cleaner since the last time I was here five years ago. And travelers from twenty years ago can really note a visible change. You can see the blue skies rather than the constant haze, and many vehicles are goin’ electric. Especially at the motorcycle moped scooter level. Most prominent to me are the utilitarian electric motor scooters that carry two or three people – an adult with a grown kid in the back and a baby in the front. Wearing helmets is optional. And you still see the village woman on a utility cart bike hauling what looks like 500 pounds of wide load stuff alongside the huge diesel construction trucks like its no big deal at all. The streets are clean and there is a whole lot of greenery – trees, hedges, and even bedding plants.

What was a bit odd was the lack of insects anywhere. I do understand the lack of mosquitoes because it is dry in the north. But the fact that I did not see bees on the flowers, dragonflies by the pond, was kinda weird. Even at the lil locals only market with hanging slabs of meat at room temperature, there was not a fly in sight. In a way that made me happy because I am not a fly lover. In another way it was a little bit spooky because you wonder where they all went. I never missed flies before but now I did LOL. Guess scientists have noticed this all around the world, its not just China. I am told that organic food is not a thing yet there. Did not ask, don’t know. If the choice is ‘no food famine’, or ‘food with a little poison in it’, which would you choose? With regards to recent improvements that have changed the demographics of the country from really poor to not so poor, one feller said, “We have the hardware now, but the software has not caught up yet”. He was talking about the modern infrastructure of high-speed rails, sewage and running water, the high-rise construction, the ownership of cell phones, appliances, and cars, and so on. The part he felt missing was the inner culture or interior training or spirit practice of a civilized human society that is still lagging behind.

Couple of farmers rented a plot of land on the outskirts of town under a 20 year lease from the government. Keep in mind that you cannot own private land, it all belongs to the party, the government. They built a traditional house with a courtyard, plus some pigs and chickens, crops. On the rest of the land they manage a tree plantation with grasses under the canopies, all to be dug up and sold to developers and such for street trees or park plantings. Good looking deciduous hardwood trees in neat rows. Topped and selectively pruned. Maples, golden rain tree, celtis, catalpas, euonymus, poplars. It is part of the reforestation program. If you cut the canopy you can be fined because remember it is not yours to do with as you please. But in recent years theres been a slow push to replace the space occupied by trees with the planting of millet. Guess they met their quota or something like that for green or carbon? The government does the aerial spraying for bugs, and the farmers do the same at the ground level. The trees are watered by well water about once a month. They say a lot of the water comes from the south. Here on the managed woodlands, I did see bees on the catalpa, flies near the squat toilet and chickens, and lady bugs on the poplars, it made me happy to see old friends. I was curious where all the meat we eat was coming from, that being cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. Farmer says on the outskirts of town there is good grasslands for livestock. When I asked about feed, he mentioned that they used to get a lot of imports from overseas, corn and soy. But in recent years the government has started to retreat more and more inward for food security. So, the amount of imported feed has dropped, and more is produced domestically.

Power generation
Maybe twenty years back they passed a law saying you could not have a power plant that was within like 150 or 175 kilometers of the city center, so that was good. Cut down on the smog and pollution. There are still smokestacks from coal fired plants, but they are running cleaner. You’ll see apartment developments built right next to chimney stacks. As we flew south on the flight it was neat to notice the change from the dry north to the wet and green south. Also great to see the numerous small farms in cultivation and hamlets that dot the landscape. On bunches of farm ponds, there were large floating solar arrays of panels and that was cool, think that was Taiwan though and not China; not sure; the mind starts to get foggy after a day in the cramped cabin staring out the window panes. Well, that is about all for this travelogue then. Tzai jian that means good bye or literally ‘again see’. And the character for see looks like a big rectangular eyeball with a couple of downward eye lashes.

Back in the days of Chinese civil war one side lost and retreated to the island of Taiwan, while the other side won and stayed on mainland China. After the war, in Taiwan they preserved the old style of writing characters that is complicated but descriptive and symbolic. We will call it the traditional style. In China they changed the characters to make them easier for common folks to learn and write – the simplified style. Here are eight common street trees from northern China with their names and stories.

Countrywide
the south is wet and humid, the north is more dry
South is rice, cane, and tea
North is wheat and millet
and everybody likes planting corn, soy, melons, and greens
Most of these pics are from a small town south of the capital Beijing
across the river where its cheaper
latitude about 39 degrees north

Here we go

Gotta have big rocks, that is symbolic of the mountains where earth deities and spirit immortals live, basically holding down the fort
front and center

Water is another essential element, ideally with waterfalls
cause out of that rush, plunge, and bubbles is the visual manifestation of universal energy flow chi
willows are the classic waterside plant of antiquity and paintings, as are water lilies
tall reedy things like irises, cattails, and giant reeds bending in the wind are also present
frogs, gold fish, and dragon flies are all part of the ideal scene

The hardscape walks unravel like tapestries and scroll work
patterns are repeated, centers are accented, theres a bit of mix and match going on
smooth and rough pebble – some painted, some natural
granite and concrete, marble and jade, its all over the place lol
floral geometry is the main theme – billowing and spiraling motifs

Structures are bright and showy, cause that’s where the dragons live
open sided for viewing, clear in and out portals
with benches for plenty, suitable for two to three to twelve to take a rest in the shade,
check your phone or write calligraphy, change a diaper or take a snack

Window frames and interiors got the blend of curves and straight lines
shapes that focus the minds eye with something other than just a rectangle

Garden tables and seats are flat topped smooth with wonky sides
occasionally elaborate, sometimes not so au naturel but symmetric and clean cuts
take out your tea set, and a basket of yummies for a daytime event
and prep some shebabs of meat and a bottle of alcohol for a moon viewing night

Garden beds are terraced in the same way that farm plots are, for ease of irrigation and water retention
at the ground level, hostas and daylilies are perennial favorites, dying back in the snowy winter

shrub wise it is green blocks, miles and miles of hedges, all kept in orderly fashion
euonymous, barberry, and occasionally boxwood too lol

the favored trees of the past thousands of years of poets include –
pine, magnolia, and that whole group comprising prunus
prunus of stone fruits like plum, peaches, almonds, nectarines, apricots

On the streets, fast growing trees are favored by government and planners the world over
so hence you got poplars, catalpas, sycamores/planes, celtis, goldenrain, euonymus
they are all topped and kept in line, equally spaced, lookin like little soldiers on a field

sometimes they are planted in an extensive uniform woodlot monoculture –
for greenery, for pollution abatement, for ease of management
in the summer its is green all over, but come winter most of these trees are deciduous and drop all their leaves
the ginkgos are quite the golden yellow sight, as are the reds and oranges of the maples
graceful tulip trees scattering foliage

Theres a mixture of strategies to keep the tree wells neat and clean
most are some kind of a barrier with a traditional design
try to keep the weeds out, and yet conform to the bumpy tree roots

you also get trees like paperbark brousonettia comin in on their own here and there
and of course, pigweed, thistles, portulaca sow themselves
but the dryness, the heat, and the constant human cultivation and spraying make life hard for weeds
If I leave out bamboos people gonna complain
yes theres bamboos but not as extensive as in the south where theres more moisture

Planted containers are carved and chiseled granite or concrete
begonias do alright, they try chrysanthemums too, and showy million bells calibrachoas
but like everywhere, container soils dry out fast, its hot
and oftentimes the containers outlast the wilting planted material

Aside from the more typical lighting of strung up brass lamps
found this cutie that is in the ding dong ding dong shape of those drums with a pebble on a string
The same kinda celestial motifs extend even to the drainage grate covers, no detail is spared
once you pull up the cover underneath it is the same ol metal grate, but above you have the depiction of floral clouds and heavens

Bathrooms are whimsical
the toilets are a hole in the ground, flushing but requiring agility
if you go there, make sure you know how to do the Asian squat, or you are gonna be in a whole lotta kaka and have an embarrassment of soggy soiled wet pants

Signage is practical and utilitarian
they look like government pamphlets that did not go through the same design committee as all the rest of the garden lol
sometimes people follow the rules, sometimes they do not, it is like that

Of the signage above, the first is for a magnolia, aka jade orchid tree
the second is for the ginkgo tree
the third sign is for the hawthorn tree whose fruits are commonly made into ‘haw’ flakes snacks
and the last sign says: less wine more water, less smokes more tea

Gardeners use the same ol tools more or less wherever they are
brooms, shovels, string trimmers, lawn mowers
and wheelbarrows or carts for garden transport of plants, irrigation pipe, and tools
at the small scale end of farms and gardens China has gone mostly all electric
grandma farmer with a load of long beans to sell
old man gardener with a couple of dug up trees to transplant
they are zipping past big diesel trucks and gas and oil sedans and old fashioned bikes
this conversion to electric transport was all done in the past twenty years or so cause the pollution was so bad you could hardly see a blue sky
it is much better now

And the architecture, well, it is four or five thousand years of emperor style followed by about twenty thirty or fifty years of rapid dense high rise development
some folks still live in a brick compound with a courtyard and livestock
other old time houses have been preserved for modern shoppers reminiscing bout ancient times
while lotta places are full speed ahead packed to the hilt with construction and activity
you know how developers and capital roll

This is about gardens and landscapes,
not about real estate, apartments, factories, stocks, market fluctuations, speculation, interest rates, and so on,
haha, so that’s bout it
the end

Restoration essay poem

This is a long form summary of a much distilled lecture titled ‘Restoration of the native landscape’ that concludes our discussion of design as applied to wild lands and open spaces. Due to the subject matter and our limited vocabulary, you may find parts of it opinionated, soap boxy, and maybe even offensive if separated from the rest of the passages, or if read in a flat out literal fashion without the subtle nuances of understanding the mild efforts at humor. My apologies for that at the get go. The goal is that you will gain knowledge in the local flora and fauna, go native, and be able to apply observation and ecological principles in restoring the lost connections to the universe in your practical design work. G luck.

What is native?
Well theres native peoples, heres a map of em all over the state
from back in the day
once upon a time
they walked here from all over the place
from the north and south, east and perhaps west too
(that might have been on a boat then)
they too at one point were travelers and wanderers, migrants of sorts
before they came to this place currently known as California, USA
they settled in a valley, a desert or a stretch of foothills from grasslands to mountains
no they did not have a deed, nor did they stay in a permanent immovable shelter year round
no there were no lines drawn on a map to indicate where one tribe started and the next began
this is before courts, governments, countries, and taxes
at this time, there were no fences, walls, or paved asphalt roads
there were no horses or wheels, cars and trains
moreover
people got their food from the bush, the woods, or from the waters,
not from the store
and it was shared
you fought with clubs and spears,
there were no armies, police, or mercenaries to defend you,
no tactical technology and gear
you died early, compared to how old people live today,
death from infection, snake bite, cliff fall, arrow, etc.
in a way, it was pretty harsh and difficult, survival was a challenge
and you had to take full responsibility
from another perspective, you were free,
and lived in the moment
had no choice

Due to the geography, the abundant food, mild climate, and for the most part
mellow and peaceable nature of the peoples
there was a huge diversity of lifestyles,
plus great reverence and awe for the earth and sky
this was true for all the dwellers – from wooded forests to coastal islands
they possessed culture and languages that persisted in time, grew with the years
lasted over five, ten, fifteen or more, thousands of years,
that is a long time, lotta moons and cycles
a long time being ‘sustainable’
really cool

Not that many natives of that time went to the sea
have you been in the Pacific Ocean out offshore lately?
it can be pretty hectic and scary
waves and currents, cold water,
and of course dun dun dun dun dun dun triangular dorsal fins
some natives did though, the ones way up north with
access to rot proof, straight grained, redwood timbers
access to tools and know how
and informed by heavily stratified, hierarchical societies of
big chiefs, commoners and slaves too
then there was a long stretch of the central coast where people got their food in the intertidal zone or inland
but they did not venture out towards the horizon of the setting sun
that is, until we come to the Chumash of So Cal Santa Barbara and Ventura
who scavenged the drifted redwoods logs on the beach
tied em together with sinew, sealed em with the tar pitch oozing up out of the ground
and went to the Channel islands, up and down the coast
to go fishing, exploring, adventuring
real neat boats

In places closer to our home
San Francisco Bay
the waters were still sketchy, you could drown and capsize
but if you timed it right,
you could go to the lakeshore
cut a fat stack of tule reeds with an obsidian knife
cinch em tight with milkweed or nettle fibers
and take the family across the water to see your cousins
over in ‘Fremont’ or ‘Berkeley’
where the huge acorns are thick for the picking under the oaks
and a dance is happening, with gambling and smokes too as the night drags on

Thus, in terms of the apogee or climax or pinnacle of the tribes
technology and science wise
there were many ‘tops’ or ‘number ones’ to choose from
we have our nuclear power, rockets,
robots and artificial intelligence
their evolution selected for things more natural and a little bit more grounded
their highest advancement could be the short, sinew backed, yew bows of the north
or the intimate knowledge of the comings and goings of plants and animals over the course of the year
above all else though was the basket
gathered patiently from trees, sedges, grasses and herbs
processed meticulously with teeth and shell edges
dyed with mud and bark
and then of course woven in a spiral, twined and coiled
embellished with bits of abalone or quail
a complete representation of all that was good and important to the culture
and it was useful too
for gathering seeds and fruits, precious keepsakes and memories
nice patterns, amazing designs

On the central coast where pump jacks are bobbin up and down
oil rich petroleum land
sticky tar rolls along the sands, and La Brea Tar Pits be seeping
the natives used the bitumen to coat the insides of baskets
waterproofing! kinda like an old time plastic bucket in a way
for carrying water

Up north by Lassen county that a ways
lives a tribe known as the Yana
an old timer was found there at the turn of the century, early 1900’s,
by ranchers and farmers who could not believe that a wild ‘injun’ still existed at that time
after all that westward expansion
after all the gold rushing
after all the repeating firearms and lead
wonder what thats like
to be the last one standing amongst your peoples
folks come and take all your stuff, starve ya
push you up into a dense cliff of a hide out
your grandma, cousins, mom and dad all dead and killed for souvenirs
no one to talk to, end of an era
do you become angry and bitter, vengeful and hateful?
or do you behave like the creeks and dogwoods, clouds and sky
calm and dignified, humble and kind
abundant in respect till the end
older timer

in northern California
between the Spaniards looking for good pasture, gold and converts
coming from the south,
the Mexicans with their ranchos and herds of cattle
and the Russians with a taste for otter skins and beaver,
coming down from the north
here and there they missed some patches of territory, did not totally overrun it
there in what we call Mendocino and Lake county these days
live the bands of Pomo
1800’s
many Pomos died from the introduced diseases of pox and cholera
and they got enslaved
and when they fought back the army put em down
rounded em up, put em in a nice sounding place called a rancheria
well they are still weaving, gathering and sharing
doin what natives do well
driving a pick up truck, sitting under an oak tree, singing songs to the earth

Up in Northern California where the salmon and lamprey run live a bunch of folks
roughly translated as the upriver people and the downriver people
along the gravelly waters of the
Klamath river
and all the tributaries branching out of the basin
they construct elegant wood houses buried partly in the earth
places to joke and chat, sweat and banter
when it gets too stuffy, then you go for a swim in the river
take a puff on the native tobacco
then its back to the sweat lodge, then the river again in endless cycles
the culture grows out of the rings of doug firs, cedars, and redwoods
it courses through the peoples veins and drains at the edge of land and sea

In the northeast corner of the state
where glass mountains of obsidian are gathered and traded for blades and arrowheads
thats is Modoc territory
there, went down fightin – Captain Jack, Chief Kintpuash
he was hung as a war criminal
died wanting to live on land that his people have been on for thousands of years
died defending his family
died fighting back to preserve a sacred way of life
some Modocs got shipped out to the res in Oklahoma
the res being like a concentration camp for Indians from all over the place
you like – I never met you people before
are you my long lost cousins, or my enemies?
other Modocs stayed behind
chipping glass, stalking jack rabbits in the sage brush
eyeing antelope rumps and flickers of salmon fin
working at the market, squeezing fish at the hatchery
talking on the phone by the waters of the Klamath

Well this is a lecture about native plant restoration
so let’s get to it
part of the reason we have such a diversity of species and habitats
is because theres all sorts of mountain ranges in Cali
big ones along the spine border next to Nevada – the Sierras
along the coast up into the Trinities and south into Baja is the coast ranges north south
theres an east west range too right there by Los Angeles – Transverse
and theres the deserts
one is part of that big dry basin that is Nevada and Utah
another reaches southeast into Arizona and Sonora Sinaloa Mexico
the so called low desert
and lastly theres the the cooler high desert of the Mojave
all of these highs and lows create elevation and excitement
restrict the movement of rain, plants and animals alike
create microclimates of ever changing temperatures and humidities
so then with time, all these odd niches spawned variety

Look at the pine species of Cali
big and short, thick and thin, offset and symmetrical
the common planted pine around here is the
Monterey pine with three needles and wonky cones along the fire ladder of a branch
a perennial favorite is the sugar pines with the huge long and straight cones
there is prickly ponderosa and gentle jeffrey, referring to the poky points or lack thereof
and on the highest snowy mountains there you will find foxtails pines at around 12,000 feet
and the ancient relic bristlecone four thousand years old, that is a pine too

That is just pine species
what about conifers?
lotta trees
lotta love

And we have two species of peonies too
what?! peonies?! no way
is true

And mariposa lilies
like this one found here in San Francisco
living on neglected forgotten serpentine rocks
not super abundant, but not extinct either

And columbines
this one was found
next to the dinky lil creek in Glen Canyon Park
the water and watershed drain out to Third Street and the bay
the creek is not capped, not piped, not buried, hardly forgotten
it still flows, albeit just a trickle most years

And this oddity of a vine called Dutchman’ pipe
with the heart shaped leaves
is the larval host plant for the pipevine swallowtail
meaning mom lays its eggs on the plant, and on no other
and the caterpillars feed on this plant, and no other

In this case, the pipevine was planted, and they came
the butterflies that is
and if you go to the local botanical garden about now,
spring going into summer
you will see them gliding about majestically
doing their thing as they have done, for the last
one hundred or two hundred million years or so, plus or minus

Alright, back to human history
otherwise you will not see the long view
or be able to interpret the patterns today
in a sensible manner
14,1500’s
here come the Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and what we call colonialism –
sailing the seas, conquering new lands,
making money for the monarchy, for the crown
sending the riches back to the king and queen on wooden sailing ships

So you take some people who have been fighting for four or six thousand years or more
engaged in endless battles, military might, marriages of alliance,
the process has bred treacherous poisoners, backstabbing counselors, and no good traitors
you got people accustomed to flags drums and horns,
slaughters and desertions,
artillery, cavalry and warships
honing their battle mettle with steel armor, guns and cannons, strategies and tactics
load them with another ten thousand years of trained and domesticated animals that are docile and obey
and furthermore inoculate them with resistance to dozens of gnarly diseases
diseases that were spawned in crowded tenements, rat infested ghettos, tight packed housing,
dirty streams and shady harbors

diseases that evolved in the close and intimate cavorting between humans and animals
set them loose on a continent of peoples in a wide open country
peoples not used to such circumstances and ways of living
what’s gonna happen?
who’s gonna win?
if you were a gambling person, what are the odds?

if you were here, meeting the newcomers that came in on tall ships
gleaming metal clothes with shining blades
what would you do?
attack them and die a warrior? no matter the price?
be friendly and give them food, trade them for new things?
make alliances with them so that they will help wipe out your pesky neighboring tribe?
lay down, hands up, give up, do whatever they say?
what?
no easy answers
no choice but to go forward
sometimes ideas of right and wrong go out the window
and its about survival pure and simple

Time passed
the natives became nice civilized farmers and ranchers, blacksmiths and carpenters
they became Christians and got baptized,
they settled in prosperous villages
they were always polite and cordial,
bowing their heads to the king or the duke or the governor as they passed in a wagon
sort of, not really
that is the ideal vision, not the reality
well if you did not obey the rules and follow suit,
you might end up a runaway in the hills, starved,
or captured and beaten,
end up in the happy hunting ground, so to speak, getting eaten by worms in the dirt
if you were well organized though, numerous in numbers, or strong willed,
and in a position to negotiate, intimidate, and push back some
then you were likely able to hold on to your land, language, customs, way of life
at least a little bit
adapt and survive as best as you can

In the 1820’s the Mexicans took over the reins from the Spaniards
it was a time of revolutions,
industrial revolution, American revolution,
French revolution, South America revolutions, etc
in Mexico – bye bye Spanish king, hello independence, republic, constitution
que viva!
not sure what they are teaching in schools or tiktok
but even now, folks are confused about Spaniards and Mexicans
basically they think they are the same thing
and don’t know the difference
the feeling is – ‘dark hair, speak Spanish, eat tacos’ – all the same
do they think English and Americans are the same??
they probably don’t know the difference between soccer and football,
American football and rugby
what?! it’s not all the same game?! it’s all played with the feet and a pointed ball right?!
moreover they don’t know that America is named after an Italian named Amerigo
what? you mean like Godfather and Marco Polo?! no way! Italian? not English?
or that Anglos and Saxons come from Angles and Saxony in Germany
you mean the English come, in part, from the Germans?!
or that Ireland was the first English colony
colonialism – that is a white vs black and brown thing, isn’t it?!
and so on

So the Spaniards and Portuguese came here to the ‘Americas’
with time, through brute force or gentle persuasion
they spawned with the locals
there was then a social hierarchy
the same hierarchy that exists today
from high to low
the upper class are pure European blood, rich, and in general tall and fair skinned
lower down are mixed bloods of whites and natives
they are born in the Americas, lighter skin is favored over darker skin
and at the bottom are the natives, poor and dark, and occasionally of shorter stature

Attitudes change over time about
being native, being indigenous
early on, after conquest,
the natives were defeated
they looked up to the invaders and conquerors for their wealth and power
they submitted to the new rulers
for some,
there was self hate, self denial, days of wishing you were ‘them’
the easiest route was
assimilate! don’t speak native tongues! wear proper clothes! pray to their god!
its still kinda like that in many parts of the world

Nowadays, theres been a tiny bit of a reverse, a trend
about having pride for being oneself and recognizing your lineage
there is the discovery of healthy native foods,
revival of native music, native dances, native ceremonies,
restoration of native plants…
boo conquistadors! my true name is Tecpanecatl not Martinez,
down with the bronze statues of armed men on horses
pendulum swings back and forth
i do understand the sentiment and emotion
it is good to reconnect with ones roots
however
I encourage a not this or that, not easy polarity view of events
try to look forward with the eye of infinity and open mind
not backwards with a microscope, tweezers, and judgement
why?
because it will help you to realize the complexity of nature and culture,
weave the mess of tattered threads into a tapestry
acknowledge the positive contributions of all cultures within
and make yourself whole,
make you a better restorationist, a better gardener,
make you a happier native

Did y’all know there was a war fought between America and Mexico for the territories of most of the west, plus parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming?
not too long ago that was
in this case, Mexico lost, and the rest, up to now, is history as they say
and did y’all hear about the Irish army unit in the Mexican army called San Patricios?
being that they allied with the Catholic Mexicans, rather than the Protestant Anglos
sometimes, it matters less if you win or lose
or if you pick a side based on race or color or religion or what have you
commit and go
fight hard, fight strong

1800’s
Here come the settlers from the east
sea to shining sea
manifest destiny
on wagon trails through mountain passes
draining swamps, cultivating the land, making timber of forests
looking for land, for gold silver and copper – hungry
they come in waves, accompanied by the army
if you are a native – step aside, scoot along, make way, clear out
y’all a bunch of tuber digging, mush sipping,
thieving robbing, dirty uneducated,
lazy naked, promiscuous two wives three wives, feather and bone wearing
heathens who are better off dead
the newcomers were busy working hard, civilizing a wild land
they did not have time to gather the flowers, or talk to the animals
they were blind to the ecological engineering and ritual based land practices of the natives…
what they thought was a pristine land was a native’s tended garden
what they thought was uncivilized, we now call sustainable and wise development

Into the mix of natives, northern Europeans and southern Europeans,
add Africans accustomed to labor, and tolerant of heat and mosquitoes
most of them were working on plantations of cash crops
sugar cane, tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo
but some of em rode horses and rounded up cattle
okay back up again
once upon a time there were north American horses, but that was four million years ago
they disappeared and went extinct in the fossil record about 10,000 years ago
then Columbus and his crew brought horses, cattle, sheep and goats, to the Americas
also brought their forage plants called oats and rye, barley wheat and alfalfa
some horses went feral and got picked up by the natives
they really really liked em – sky dogs they called em, it was like finding a lost cousin
I know you can picture it, an Indian mounted on a horse, galloping
shootings arrows with a horn and sinew bow into a charging buffalo
teepees and families in the background,
buffalo hides being stretched, smoke fire and the smell of cooking meat
anyhow, this art of horses got passed and invented by each adapting peoples
from the horses to the natives, from the Spaniards to the natives,
from the Spaniards to the Mexicans,
from the Mexicans to the Anglos and Africans
and so on
these days, heard the Brazilians are doing really good at the rodeos
givin’ the Anglos some competition and a run for the money

couple of native lessons here –
adapt to the incoming, in your fashion, make it your own
figure out what is practical and useful and keep it, discard the chaff
you are looking for what works best – in line with natural flow and rhythm,
be wary of getting caught up superimposing your own outlook onto nature
avoid that righteous idealism that is more about you, than it is about her,
‘her’ is talkin bout your mom, my mom,
everybody’s mom, earth momma mom

Up in the mountains, people looked for gold
scooping gravel and rocks into a sluice box
scouting for trapped bits in the riffles
as a result of the formation of this union we call USA
people of different backgrounds started to work together, hang out together
maybe even be friends
this would not have happened in the old times
this does not happen in a homogenous society
this does not occur in a stratified class and caste hierarchy
this happens in a mixed up, jumbled and tossed America
its alright
maybe you like it, maybe you don’t
doesn’t matter, its happening

Back to plants
botanists classify the flora of California into vegetation or plant communities
because groupings and organization help understanding
plus then you start to pay attention to soil and water, light and dark, air and flow, sun and moon
in short, the guiding forces of our planet
explore the canyons and valleys,
alpine and desert,
scrub
as a restorationist, you gotta know your plants
the only way to do so is to take a lot of walkabouts
watch the plants as they grow, set seed and then disappear or fade
gather, harvest and propagate the plants
and do this for hundreds of years, passing down what you know to the next generation
that is how you can mimic
the natives
our teachers

Of late
for the last twenty or so years
it has grown increasingly popular
to use native plants in the landscape
there are many reasons cited for why this is important:

biodiversity
habitat for wildlife
hardiness
resistance to disease
low maintenance
minimal irrigation drought tolerant
hmmm

Round here, the definition of a native plant is that it was here before Europeans arrived here
yes it is a somewhat ‘artificial’ construct
if you are a new, introduced, plant from anywhere but here, and want to be a native,
you cannot become one, no matters how hard you try
you can be naturalized over time, but you are still a non-native
if scientists are being kind and generous, they might call you a noninvasive naturalized plant,
but you are still an introduced exotic, even if you have been here for three or four hundred years
the worst is being called an invasive non native exotic,
that is a no no bad plant that spreads all over
you are evil and trying to take over!
humans then pull out the heavy equipment and death chemicals to kill you!
too bad and so sad for you

This photo comes from a landscape architecture magazine
it is Land’s End, which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area,
which is part of the federal government’s National Park Service,
it is by the old Sutro bath ruins and Seal Rocks islands not far from the beach
the whole area has been restored and remodeled recently
african ice plant removed, cypress trees thinned or limbed up,
new building, parking lot, trails, and signage,
native plants planted
the students said, ‘ hey it does not look like that, they used filters and photo trickery!’
hahah, so lets go there and see what the site looks like regularly
without all that make up

It is more or less like this
big ol lupines and artemisias, coyote bush and lizard tail shrubs
with a little sweet alyssum (weedy european naturalized non native) here and there
it does look a bit overgrown and leggy
is this what they would look like, naturally? five hundred years ago??
well in the dune strand community
theres huge piles of moving sands, 20’, 50’, 100’ tall
and blistering winds blowing at you all day long like tiny silica shot
you are trying to survive in this ‘gonna get buried’ atmosphere
so you evolve some strategies
some dune plants have long running rhizomes that pop up here and there
they root readily when covered with sand
and leaf out easily wherever they are exposed
examples are dune tansy and sand verbena
another tactic is to live fast die young
grow quick, unload your seeds into the shifting sands, and kaput
that is what yellow bush lupine does
because the sands are so poor in nutrients, most plants don’t usually get very big
what you’d see ‘naturally’ are a lot of compact little plants scattered hither dither

The nursery grown, comparatively nutrient-rich potting soil housed native plant –
it grows well when planted in the easy loose sands and frequent fog climate
‘growing well’ meaning grows big, grows fast
that seems to be our criteria for success
plus they are no longer living in a world of shifting dunes
rather, they are penned in on all sides by a sidewalk, a parking lot, and a cable fence
that is why they look as they do
native plant garden, restoration site, in action

if you go south along Ocean Beach you will see more evidence of these efforts
at Fort Funston,
there is a restored hillside with chamisso lupines and indian paintbrush,
and unrestored mats and mats of hottentot fig,
waiting for the shift to happen
their time to come
for the ‘invaders’ to be pushed back to where they belong on the compost pile

An old army airfield at Crissy Field was also restored to dune strand wetlands
this is an old rendering of what the architects envisioned
you can read all about it here:
https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/nature/crissy-field.htm#:~:text=The%20work%20done%20at%20Crissy,Presidio%20for%20over%20a%20century.

We are still in the sandy dunes
I remember planting this scrap of a corner lot at Balboa and Great Highway
it was affectionately known as Parcel 4
there was one clear case of the ‘if you plant it, they will come’
in this case the plant was a dune knotweed Polygonum paronychia
and it attracted a bright metallic green halictid sweat bee,
which you don’t see regularly in an ornamental garden
but in a native dune garden, yes!

There is a kinda go-to standard book used in plant restoration circles
it is called Invasive Plants of California’s Wildlands
there is a species account of most of the really weedy things in Cali
from the brooms to eucalyptus to grasses
and it discusses the control methods for them
maybe I am prejudiced against using broad spectrum herbicides in the wildlands in large doses
but in the book, it seemed that the main consistent method of control that they recommended
was always chemicals
that was the only way to do battle against the invasion of evil plants
you cannot win the battles with just hand tools!
cause there are too many of them,
our only salvation is a sprayer or a dabber paintbrush
and modern chemical agents
awkward…

Another project I was involved with was wetland restoration
this one being on the southeast side of San Francisco in the Bayview
India Basin, adjacent to Heron’s Head and the old shut down coal fired power plant
like Crissy Field, developers have plans for these previously economically depressed areas
that being new housing, shopping centers, parks, coast trails, native plants, and so on –
vibrant comfortable communities living in harmony, having fun with nature vision
anyhow, for restoration –
what we did was create a wetland by carving a sloped drain of a channel next to the bay
and then plant it with gumweed and coyote bush
they say it was some kind of mitigation, tit for tat
that some intact functioning wetland got paved or carved away,
and this was how they made up for it, by restoring one somewhere else
haven’t been back to check it out for twenty years
would like to see how the plants did, and if pickle weed and cord grass came in on their own
if the tide in fact comes in and out, and it has not silted over or filled in
want to see if what we did was part of a healing process, bring us closer to the earth
or if it was one of these common,
’pretend and shrug, dull your heart and mind, don’t know don’t care’ project that lies in a buried folder filled with two million other similar documents
hmmmm

Compared to the dunes, where it is easy to get almost 100% native plant cover easily
it is far more difficult to do a native plant restoration in the clay and rock packed grasslands and scrub
its harder to get your roots down, out, and hunkered
it is hotter and drier, since it is more inland and sunnier,
it is harder to ‘get established’
plus some of the plants that do live there already are kinda bossy
they are natives, but bossy and weedy natives
they look down on the wimpy, need a lot of help and attention,
restoration domesticated, not that tough garden natives
they so mean LOL

I went to study the Mission Blue butterfly on San Bruno Mountain
that is a long, too long story for here
what is relevant is that there was a plan to make butterfly habitat
to restore habitat, create new habitat of native plants for butterflies to live at
the exchange was that some ‘virgin’ habitat would be built on,
and taken away from the mission blues
I have heard this before
thing is – people like the same places on the mountain as the butterflies
they like it with a bit of a view, but not high on the windy ridges
they prefer a warm and protected spot to raise families and play in the sun
clear and calm is better than foggy and breezy
push comes to shove
who’s gonna win
the newcomers or the natives?
can you restore something that has taken thousands of years to grow and evolve?
can you restore all those interconnecting parts and lives?
can you make appear a four hundred year old manzanita?
can you abracadabra a huge patch of checkered lilies intermingled with gold backed ferns?
all of this, with projected funding for twenty years?
is there a choice here? LOL
okay, gotta start somewhere
dive in, its a start

Going back to the reasons for planting natives,
let us review the curriculum and give it some thought:

biodiversity
habitat for wildlife
hardiness
resistance to disease
low maintenance
minimal irrigation drought tolerant

Keep in mind that i am a gardener
I love plants
I love the natives
and I love the newcomers too,
not picky
as food for thought, as a teacher,
I asked that you consider all facets of a problem
so that when you do restoration or design,
you are not working under false notions and blind assumptions
lets take a test together
with the knowledge that mother nature is not so much a teeter totter at the playground
but more of a spider’s web or mycelium network
she is sometimes temperamental, for sure she is complex
inclined towards ‘it depends, once in a while, perhaps’ decisions,
cause she considers all the angles
‘well if this then that, but if that then this other thing, and its also likely that….’ possibilities
LOL
here we go

True or false
Native plants make a site more biodiverse
??? okay so what?
is more better? is biodiversity just the number of plant species?
is the amazon jungle better than California,
cause they have 50,000 plants species versus our 8,000?
if my garden has 100 species and yours only has five, is mine better?
more ‘biodiverse’?
or, do you mean that planting natives will support other creatures as well,
like insect, reptiles and birds? more of such creatures
okay then, True
but planting a garden of any kind
makes a site more biodiverse…
once in a while I come across literature that says things like
‘exotic plants have no natural predators, and hence do not support the food web’
people who write things like that have probably never worked in a garden
come to my yard, and I can show you rhododendrons from Asia that got thrips
cabbage from Europe that got aphids
African grasses that the native gopher loves to eat
and so on
you think a moth cares one nickel or dime about some date in 1492 or 1775 or 1861 when
some human cultures met and clashed?
no, they don’t care about native this that nothing
I’m hungry!!!

True or false
Native plants make habitat for wildlife,
(that is, better habitat than non natives)
this is another one of those funny questions that is more about people than plants
we only want a certain kind of wildlife, the good kind
we like little song birds, not so much crows and gulls
we like the showy butterflies, not so much dull moths and caterpillars eating our plants
we like squirrels, but we don’t like their cousins the rats and mice
we like the bees if they don’ts sting us
we don’t like wasps
we don’t like flies, or gnats, or grubs
we don’t like cockroaches, fleas, and roundworms
we like the idea of a coyote,
if its not eating my cat
we like the cuteness of the raccoon face,
as long as they are not in my house ganging up on my dog
we like the elegance of a deer –
as long as its not eating my roses and vegetables and filled with ticks!
come to think of it, I’m not sure that we want habitat or wildlife at all
LOL,
not that we control the world
what?! wait, what are you saying?! that is heresy!!
we are the master race! the master species! the king of the hill!
LOL
mother nature always wins
the darn thing is
sometimes, whether your garden for them or not,
restore the habitat or not,
the wildlife come and go as they please!
guess that is what wild means?!
the good come in with the bad
in fact, its really hard to control who comes in
very frustrating!
in the garden, more than ‘plant nativity’,
if you care about nature in the least
it is the style of gardening that will ingratiate you to the locals
if you leave some dead stuff around and are not all about clean and crisp
that dead stuff ends up as nesting material and nesting cavities,
it becomes food for saprophytes, organic matter for the soil and worms
this is a good and enlightened way of gardening
if you leave some dried and brown seed heads,
that is food for seed eater birds and harvester ants alike,
and also the seeds sow themselves as next years cover of wild flowers
that is also good
if you kinda ignore some feeding damage on the leaves,
you will allow a larva to metamorphosis into a butterfly
it could turn out be a silver dotted gulf fritillary,
or a brush footed red admiral
if you leave some patches of weeds alone,
you might find hatched out of it – an american lady or a painted lady butterfly

Since we are on a roll
wouldn’t it be nice if red legged frogs and San Francisco garter snakes,
grizzly bears and wooly mammoths were also restored to our city?!
???? that would be so great!
hahah
rethink the notions
how many of those animals actually want to live in a dense urban metropolis –
teaming with rodents, ravens, cars, pollution, garbage, and a million people?
consider this for awhile, become the frog… croak croak ribbit ribbit
this is why some creatures are endangered or have gone the way of dinosaurs
they evolved in a time with specific habitat needs,
relationships and linkages,
specialized just-so niches
it is not like it was
it will never go back to the way it was
we don’ really know what it was like anyways,
just got guesses and estimates,
some prints in some old rocks, and an explorers account from 1782
our memory is riddled with holes
our documents record only tiny tatters of what happened
best to go –
forward
make something new
and be honest about it
we are going to try our best, but are making it up as we go along
nothing wrong with that…

True or False
Native plants are hardier and more resistant to disease
hardiness usually means tolerance to cold temperatures
so false, it depends on where the native plant comes from
if it is from the mountains then it can probably take it down past freezing
if it is from the coast or from down south, then it is likely not that hardy
perhaps hardiness here means the ability to take adversity?…
lets talk this through, understand its underlying message
this is saying –
if you have been here for ten thousand years, then you must be tough and strong
but what if all of the sudden,
you are exposed to diseases from abroad that you have never met before?
would you still be resistant?
or would you die right away?
are native plants like native peoples?
what are you saying?!?
what makes more sense is this –
if you are a wild plant, then you are usually tougher and more resistant to disease
‘wild’ meaning you have not been selected for by humans –
selected for dependency and constant care, fast growth and rapid production
on the other hand, ‘wild’ meaning you still have a variety of defenses that would protect you against insects or herbivores like deer or sheep
you might have irritating hairs, poky spines,
mouth gumming latex and resins, bitter nasty alkaloids,
tough fibrous unpalatable tissues, or disagreeable smells
a native wild plant can have these traits,
and an introduced wild plant can have these traits as well
hmmm…
native Monterey pine versus non native pine pitch canker fungus (of Mexican origin?)
who is winning?
native oak trees versus non native sudden oak death (of Asian origin?)
what’s the score?
native lupines versus non native Phytophthora species water molds (of German origin?)
who is the culprit? how is the disease spread? who do we blame?!
oops
we have fallen down another one of these worm holes that has no exit or pull off the shelf solution
like before, its not really about native versus non native
you have to examine the specific site,
select plants based on ecological and maybe aesthetic criteria
and monitor for plant health over time
overall this is a really vague question or assertion,
followed by really unclear and ambiguous answer
LOL

True or false
Native plants are low maintenance
hahaha
silly people with the ‘sit in your chair don’t go outside’ illness
lets say, yes true, natives are low maintenance
you don’t have to prune them
you don’t have to fertilize them
you don’t have to weed them
you don’t have to do anything to them
they are easy
but then if you treat them this way in a garden,
or in a restoration site,
using the ‘do very little’ approach
what do they end up looking like?
were the natives that careless?!
hahaha
come to think of it,
I would like a low maintenance life style altogether
low maintenance kids
low maintenance dog
low maintenance mother in law
low maintenance fish in the aquarium
low maintenance everything
that will leave me more time to write dumb essays on the internet!
LOL
like most relationships,
you get out of it, what you put into it…
and don’t get me started here with bad sarcasm
substituting how native peoples are also so ‘low maintenance’
that is going into the hot boiling cauldron territory for sure…

True or false
Native plants need minimal irrigation
really?! this has got to be false
the yellow monkey flower, native, likes to be right next to the water
yerba mansa, native, likes the damp soil year round
wax myrtle, native, right by the lakes edge
white alder, native, riverine tree
many species of ferns, natives, always found in the shady wet
actually,
some like it wet, some like it dry
it is true that –
some natives are drought tolerant,
some non natives are drought tolerant too
chilean cactus comes to mind, as do african succulents and aussie bushes
native ain’t got nothin to do with this
it depends on where it lives, what are its preferences
what can it tolerate
whew

This is almost the end of the line
lyrical train been chugging too many miles to count,
I’m like ‘next stop!’
just two more clarifications or anecdotes, contrary opinions, floss for discussion,
with regards to invasiveness, restoration, and nativity

Does anybody else have a problem with this idea that the plants are invading our land?
it makes so little common sense – the whole concept
the whole imagery is downright stupid
its like –
take some responsibility man!
you brought the plant here,
or was careless in transporting hitch hikers,
you planted it,
you used it for some purpose,
you keep creating the conditions that favor its survival
and now, you blame the plant
you like – you the invader, not me, not us, not my fault
where is your sense of history, of honor, of reciprocity?
you like,
they are the bad one, I am the good one
I am always the good one
I do no wrong
I’m actually the hero with the chemicals here to save the day!
funny
this does not mean that I don’t see a lot of weeds when I go a walkabout
not at all
I am all for weeding that yellow star thistle out of the pastures
all for cuttin’ broom thickets in city parks
can pull bur clover all day long
but these plants, they are not invading
they are opportunistic, they are a pain in the butt, they are major pests
but they are not warring against us,
nor fighting to take over the sad poor helpless natives
if anything, they are our faithful followers,
they are reminders of our follies,
they are beacons of wildness in an otherwise tamed landscape
darn weeds

Do you really own the land? do you decide who really ‘belongs’ or not?
like own it enough to say ‘nobody noplant trespasses without my permission’?
no, you don’t, it all belongs to mother earth
you are a temporary care taker and steward
so do your job –
take care of the garden, work the land, be kind to all creation
stop trying to take short cuts, make excuses, disguise your words
pretend that caring for the earth is ‘a low maintenance’ activity LOL

Restore the relationship, restore the love, restore the respect
that is what restoration is about
restoring the inner and outer worlds of ones being
like we always talk about with trees
there is the visible above ground trunk branches and canopies and,
there is a mirror image reflected in the hidden underground roots
sometimes the roots reach out way further than the above ground parts
sometimes the roots of neighboring trees all work together as one
sometimes the roots also link up with the mycelium of fungus that has colonized the earth
all are balanced and mutually supporting
inner and outer, above and below,
in essence you are a tree
pay attention the the stuff not readily visible to the eye
just like that

In conclusion
I encourage everybody to go native
not meaning to disrespect the ‘native americans’ or ‘indians’ or indigenous peoples
or take away from their meager pickings,
steal another costume or ritual,
or encourage more hokey pokey faky faky –
‘let me borrow it, I’ll give it back later, promise’ stuff
rather, to go native as a state of mind, as a body of action
not native by blood, not by tribe, not by membership,
native by participation in the affairs and work,
of being a person who is native to the earth
forget what they say about humans being the problem
humans being the cancer
there being too many humans
and other such lore
none of that is helpful

Put aside the 1% vs 99% prejudice
shrug when they pit the white against the brown and black
pretend you’re asleep when they are picking teams – red or blue,
yawn when they insist you side with the blue or the white
I’ll take all three
red, white, and blue

Remember the colors in the indian basket, that harmony, that is the goal
recognize that you belong here, this is your home,
it is a sacred place
plant a garden for food or for flowers, for your family or for the birds
take a walk and say hi to everybeing you meet,
one leggeds, two leggeds, three leggeds, four leggeds, five leggeds, six leggeds, seven
one leafed, two leafed, three leafed, four leafed, five
call up your friends and family,
and gather by a lake, a stream, a meadow, a mountain peak,
have a sitdown at the beach, on the lawn, in a park
everybody bring something –
share whatever you grew, whatever you bought, whatever you have
laugh and haha,
behold the scene, feel the presence, see the beauty, bath in the joy
you are a worm, you are a rock, you are thunder and lightning,
you are the sun, you are dust, you are nothing
you are the light that is rainbows,
and you can see this reflected in everything around you
its not really that complicated
claim nativity
restoration in action
go natives!

Lamprey story

Caught my first lamprey (eel) on the Eel River in a deep swimming hole next to some river otters goofing around and a big rock to jump off of. Then friend Bruce gave me the February 2022 edition of High Country News which had a neat article about this fantastic and ancient creature. That got the drawings started; guess this is my take on a Yakama Nation lamprey origin story, and some science about its lifecycle too. It was a long long time ago…

(1) In the old times, all the animals gathered to gamble in a game of sticks. The chiefs of all the tribes were present. Most prominent amongst them was the Lamprey, who dazzled everyone with his regal manner and charismatic being.

(2) But luck and fortune were not on Lamprey’s side this night. With every roll of the dice, he got more frustrated and angry. He was losing big time.

(3) First he gambled away his handsome lodge in the mountains. Lost it.

(4) Then, he put all his money beads and jewelry on the line. Lost those.

(5) “This can’t be happening!” Lamprey put his wives and children on the board as wager. Lost them quickly too.

(6) Lamprey was running out of options. So in this order, he gambled his graceful jaw and nice set of teeth, his big luminous eyes, his shining glowing patterned skin, and his fancy fins and tail. He lost all of these things.

(7) Desperation move. Lamprey pulled out his whole bony skeleton and wagered that too. Lamprey said, “My luck has got to turn, right now! C’mon! Roll ‘em!” And sad to say, he lost once again.

(8) The night was late, and it was bout that time. Everyone said their goodbyes and headed back home under the stars. Salmon walked towards the river with his winnings. He looked back and said, “Hey Lamprey you alright?”, but Lamprey was just sobbing. Salmon said, “Well see you in the ocean then.”

(9) The life cycle of the lamprey goes like this: In a freshwater gravel bed, eggs are laid by females, and fertilized by males jizzing.

(10) Lamprey babies hatch, and live life like a worm stuck in the sand. They got no eyes, don’t swim around; just sit there plugged, filtering whatever bits of yum yum comes by the river.

(11) As they get older, at some point they grow a circular jaw full teeth, a kidney that can take the salt water, and transform into adults.

(12) Down the river they go to the ocean.

(13) In the sea, they use their sucker disc jaw full of sharp chompers and latch onto fish. This is how they feed themselves. Not quite a predator – a parasite.

(14) After a while of this suckering, they smell the baby lamprey worms in some distant river, and get inspired to return to fresh water. Time to make babies. They go up stream against the current, clasping onto rocks with that round mouth of theirs and jumping with it all the way up up up the river.

(15) Then they come to a good mating, breeding, and egg laying spot. It starts all over again. Thats the whole cycle. And all them rotten stinky oily carcasses feed the forest trees and fungi.

(16) Anatomy wise, you got the round sucking mouth part full of jagged little teeth.

(17) No bony skeleton, just a lil ol’ brain attached to a spinal cord, a notocord, and a bunch of cartilage providing support.

(18) Seven gill hole slits for breathing.

(19) One nostril hole at the top of the head like a dolphin.

(20) Two little gray blue eyes.

(21) And the seven drums sound boom boom boom boom boom boom boom. Here we go… Go Lampreys!!!