yes! I know an herbalist who spent hours digging up a root and promptly said she will not do it again! There are much easier medicinal herbs to use. Thanks for your comment, Karen.
Thank you, April. I hope the Mt. St. Helens research continues to be funded - it is a fascinating opportunity to observe the adaptation and evolution of species as they return to a damaged landscape.
Thank you for writing about lupine and balsam root! The two colors are perfect together, especially on cloudy days that allows their colors to sing. I had forgotten the part in Robin Wall Kimmerer's book about yellow and purple. The subtle ways we are connected to the land are eternally intriguing. I looked up the Dalles Mountain Ranch, and that info combined with your description and photos makes me want to visit it!
Thank you for commenting, Jenny. I re-read Braiding Sweetgrass every other year or so, and the Asters & Goldenrod chapter stayed with me because of my visits to the Dalles Mountain Ranch. Timing is important for a visit - late April - mid-May. And the weather? Pack for four seasons!
Thanks for commenting, Juliet. I mentioned in another comment that scientists have learned some amazing things since studying Mt. St. Helens after its eruption. The lonely lupine is just one of many stories.
How wonderful to read your Wild Stories, Sue! And as Janisse said below, I appreciate the reminder of Robin Wall Kimmerer's writing on yellow & purple, and the beauty they create. Why is it so hard for us to honor the importance of beauty and of loving this world?
Lupines and other pea/bean family plants who transform atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use do that via a partnership with bacteria who live in nodules in the legumes' roots. The microbes do the chemical transformation of the nitrogen; the legumes feed and shelter the bacteria. It's a win-win for both organisms.
Thanks for your explanation of how plants transform nitrogen. I look for the nodules on the roots when I pull up legumes in my vegetable garden. I didn't know about the role of microbes so thank you for sharing that.
I was just talking to an organic orchardist here about Rhizobium, the bacteria that live in the nodules that legume roots form as a home for them. It's a really interesting relationship, because normally plants form nodules around something that is irritating to them, as a way to wall off the irritant from harming the plant. (Hence galls on plant stems and leaves, for instance.) In the case of the bactrian and the legumes, somehow the legume figured out that sheltering and feeding the bacteria was a good idea rather than a harmful situation, so instead of walling off the bacteria, the nodules allow water and sugar to flow to the bacteria and nitrogen to flow to the plant.
Thank you Sue for sharing this. Having lived in the Gorge for 8 years--it was interesting to learn of the history of Lupine and Balsamroot and it's cycle of life. Feels like walking back in time, thousands of years ago..
Beautiful post and pics, Sue! I loved reading about the lone wolf Lupine at Mt St Helens becoming a pack again 🐺
A 5-9 foot tap root! Wow!
yes! I know an herbalist who spent hours digging up a root and promptly said she will not do it again! There are much easier medicinal herbs to use. Thanks for your comment, Karen.
Excellent post, Sue. I loved learning about the Lonely Lupine of Mt. St. Helens.
Thank you, April. I hope the Mt. St. Helens research continues to be funded - it is a fascinating opportunity to observe the adaptation and evolution of species as they return to a damaged landscape.
Thank you for writing about lupine and balsam root! The two colors are perfect together, especially on cloudy days that allows their colors to sing. I had forgotten the part in Robin Wall Kimmerer's book about yellow and purple. The subtle ways we are connected to the land are eternally intriguing. I looked up the Dalles Mountain Ranch, and that info combined with your description and photos makes me want to visit it!
Thank you for commenting, Jenny. I re-read Braiding Sweetgrass every other year or so, and the Asters & Goldenrod chapter stayed with me because of my visits to the Dalles Mountain Ranch. Timing is important for a visit - late April - mid-May. And the weather? Pack for four seasons!
That's an excellent post, thanks. It's particularly interestign to read about the lupins colonising Mount St helens after the volcano eruption
Thanks for commenting, Juliet. I mentioned in another comment that scientists have learned some amazing things since studying Mt. St. Helens after its eruption. The lonely lupine is just one of many stories.
How wonderful to read your Wild Stories, Sue! And as Janisse said below, I appreciate the reminder of Robin Wall Kimmerer's writing on yellow & purple, and the beauty they create. Why is it so hard for us to honor the importance of beauty and of loving this world?
Lupines and other pea/bean family plants who transform atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use do that via a partnership with bacteria who live in nodules in the legumes' roots. The microbes do the chemical transformation of the nitrogen; the legumes feed and shelter the bacteria. It's a win-win for both organisms.
Thanks for your explanation of how plants transform nitrogen. I look for the nodules on the roots when I pull up legumes in my vegetable garden. I didn't know about the role of microbes so thank you for sharing that.
I was just talking to an organic orchardist here about Rhizobium, the bacteria that live in the nodules that legume roots form as a home for them. It's a really interesting relationship, because normally plants form nodules around something that is irritating to them, as a way to wall off the irritant from harming the plant. (Hence galls on plant stems and leaves, for instance.) In the case of the bactrian and the legumes, somehow the legume figured out that sheltering and feeding the bacteria was a good idea rather than a harmful situation, so instead of walling off the bacteria, the nodules allow water and sugar to flow to the bacteria and nitrogen to flow to the plant.
Beautiful. Arrow Leaved Balsamroot was a harbinger of spring for us when we lived in British Columbia.
Arrow leaved is the dominant species in the gorge, too.
Glorious photos. I remember Kimmerer writing about yellow & purple, and I'm glad to be reminded of that.
Thank you, Janisse! It's such a good book.
Thank you Sue for sharing this. Having lived in the Gorge for 8 years--it was interesting to learn of the history of Lupine and Balsamroot and it's cycle of life. Feels like walking back in time, thousands of years ago..
Whenever I am learning about flora and fauna, I often feel like I am walking back in time. There are so many stories to tell!
Thanks for commenting, Ann.