Under the Weather

Unfortunately I got the flu/cold that's been going around, so I didn't get out to explore much.  The willows, however, were in full bloom right on our property, so I spent a little time with them!  I had never noticed how beautiful they are!  The picture below is a MALE willow in full bloom!  The catkins have long stamens with anthers, that are loaded with pollen!

I also made a mistake when I posted that the pussy willows we all know, are only found on MALE plants!  That's NOT correct!  BOTH male and female willows produce silvery, hairy, pussy willows.  I learned this through observation!  I apologize for my error!

Male willow catkins in full bloom - Salix sp.

     Male (staminate) willow catkins  - Salix sp. - Female (pistilate) willow catkins       

Here's a photo that shows the difference between male and female willow catkins.  Remember that willows are dioecious, having separate male and female plants.  Unlike the male willow, the female willow has lots of pistils, that are comprised of a stigma, style, and ovary.  The female plant is the one that will produce seeds.

Nisenan basket and Redbud branch             Nisenan mortar holes at Ramshorn  

The local Native Americans, the Nisenan, lived in this area for thousands of years.   They hunted, fished, and gathered many plants and seeds.  Acorns were one of their main winter staples, which they pounded into flour using pestles and bedrock mortars. Their homes were constructed of poles tied together at the top, and covered with tree bark and/or animal skins.  The women made baskets using WILLOW, redbud, and hazel branches.  The branches were split length-wise, into three strips.  These strips were soaked in a stream or river for several months, before they were used in basket making.  Traces of the Nisenan were found by archaeologists in the 1870's.  Unfortunately, by that time, many of the Nisenan had already been eliminated by disease and violence, brought by the Gold Rush settlers. Some of the Nisenan still exist today and have been actively bringing their culture back to life.  You can find lots of information on their history and culture, past and present, at www.nevadacityrancheria.org.

 A Mountain Nisenan in front of dwelling with baskets (drawn from a photograph) 

This drawing and the one above of a basket-woven plate and redbud branch,
I drew 20 years ago for the Tahoe National Forest!

Ok, so NEXT week, I'll talk about
"What birds have arrived recently?"
 as well as
"Where are the lizards?"

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