Yellow Bells -- Fritillaria pudica

May 16, 2019 by Will Clausen in Plants

The hardened landscape of the Inland Northwest, baked in summer and frozen in winter, is softened each spring by an abundance of wildflowers. So many of these spring wildflowers appear tender and fragile, seemingly out of place and yet a vibrant component of the land none the less. Among these many plants you will find yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica) with their small flowers nodding stoically, heralds of spring, like wild daffodils, lifting spirits after a long winter. From southern British Columbia to northeast California, through Idaho, Montana and western Wyoming, yellow bells are found in the shrub-steppe that characterize this part of the country, the iconic sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) habitat, and also open ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) habitat where these towering trees meet the shrub-steppe. Among such robust and gnarled neighbors, the species name “pudica”, translating to shy or modest, seems well suited to yellow bells. It reflects the downcast view taken by the pendulous flowers, their diminutive size and fleeting nature. But I don’t really consider yellow bells to be shy or modest. They are brilliant. Massed, they make a loud statement which is amplified all the more for being made by such a plant in such a landscape.

Berzelia

February 08, 2019 by Will Clausen in Plants

With small evergreen foliage covering tall braches, long green whips individually thin but collectively capable of forming a dense thicket, berzelia looks to me a bit like giant sequoia minus the towering trunk, as if someone has cut out a small segment of that massive canopy and rooted it directly into the ground. I am also reminded of the Norfolk pine potted up in my apartment, and the untrimmed juniper down the street. But looking at this berzelia, I’m very far away from those giant sequoias and the plants in my neighborhood. This is the Western Cape of South Africa and bringing my thoughts back to where I am right now, berzelia foliage reminds me of heather (Erica sp.), the low-growing shrubs which are one of the most prevalent and diverse plants in this wild fynbos landscape. We have been seeing the ropey needle-clad stems of heather everywhere. Because of that and the various other plants it reminds me of, my first impress of berzelia is that I’ve seen it before. Still in spite of the similarity to so many familiar plants, berzelia isn’t quite like anything else. As for robots of the creepy uncanny valley, so human and yet lacking some inscrutable human quality which exposes them for what they are, so for berzelia. They so nearly achieve abject normalcy, but walking closer it becomes clear there is something bizarre about this plant.

Fynbos

October 25, 2018 by Will Clausen in Places

Rugged mountains frame this valley, the epicenter of the most botanically diverse region in the world. Light and shadow play on the sandstone slopes overhead while the Palmiet River meanders through shrubland below. It’s a dramatic scene. From the high peaks that form the far end of the valley the wind often blows down, picking up speed as it is funneled to the east and out to sea. In this landscape where few plants are taller than a human, there isn’t much to stop the advancing wind. But on this day everything is calm.