A new world’s tallest tree

The New York Times reports today that researchers in California have discovered a new “world’s tallest tree.” Of course it’s a redwood, one of the most beautiful trees you could ever hope to see.

Forests provide $250B in environmental services

A new study by a Canadian ecological economist shows that intact forests in northern nations provide approximately $250 billion in environmental services to those countries:

Farmers market haul

It’s such a shame that I don’t have a digital camera to take pictures of today’s colorful farmers market haul from the Hope St. Farmers Market.

Ease up on produce farmers

In today’s New York Times. Nina Planck writes a good article about the E.coli outbreak due to eating raw spinach from California. She makes some excellent points, worth discussing here.

The language of flowers

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. that’s for thoughts.

There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s rue for you; and here’s some for me: we may call it herb-grace o’ Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There’s a daisy: I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end,–

Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 4 Scene V

Remember when Ophelia went mad in Hamlet? Maybe you thought, why IS the girl babbling on about flowers and herbs? In fact, she was speaking the language of flowers, or floriography. In the Victorian era, flowers and plants were used to send coded messages, often to express forbidden or socially unacceptable feelings. Floriography originated in Persia and was brought to Europe in the 17th century. Shakespeare’s audience would have known exactly what Ophelia was talking about.

Fall lawn care

Don’t put your garden tools in the garage just yet. There’s still time for a few more garden projects. If you have a lawn, preparing it for winter should be at the top of the list.