Going Extinct

Day 274: There is a reason I am showing you another photo of Cephalanthera austiniae today. I want to embed it firmly in your minds so that you can tell your children and grandchildren that you've seen pictures of them growing in the wild, that you knew someone who stood beside the actual living plants in an obscure corner of Mount Rainier's forests. In the last 24 hours, I have read two articles which say that Phantoms will vanish by 2100 AD, victims of climate change. Cephalanthera is not the only species of holomycotrophic orchid threatened by global warming, but in scientific studies, it has been shown that it is perhaps one of the most vulnerable to rising temperatures and loss of habitat. Does that tell you why I am so close-mouthed about their location? And does it not wrench your heart to contemplate their almost-certain loss? I've often used the phrase "everything is holding hands with something else" when discussing the natural world. It would seem that Cephalanthera is losing its grip. And then what, people? We're already sliding down the slippery slope toward our own demise as a species and, I hasten to remind you, we greased the skids and are continuing to lavish on fresh oil.

Goldenseal, Hydrastis Canadensis

Day 238: Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is reputed to offer a number of health benefits and as a medicinal plant is at risk from over-collecting despite the fact that collection of wild Goldenseal is prohibited by law. I purchased two nursery-raised starts thirty years ago, and today my Goldenseal patch looks the best it has ever done. Until it was listed as endangered, it was commonly dug for the saffron-yellow roots which give it its common name, but even if collection was confined to gathering the leaves, the species would still be in jeopardy. You see, each root produces a single stem which bears a pair of leaves, and that's it. That's all you get: two leaves on each plant, period. I am very judicious with regard to harvesting from my specimens, taking only a few tips from the lobes of any given leaf. Later, as the berries ripen and the photosynthetic process is drawing to a close, I may go back and again take tips from the remaining lobes, but never from every lobe of one leaf. This procedure has allowed my plants to flourish and multiply to the lush bed you see in the photo. Hydrastis belongs to the same family as buttercups and exhibits many of the same habitat preferences. Even though I dug out a thick patch of buttercups to give it a nice home in my garden, they still pop up from time to time to keep it company.