SUMMER IS HERE; AND, EQUAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW IS A FUNDAMENTAL AMERICAN RIGHT

AMUR MAPLE

...SEEDS

JAPANESE TREE LILAC 'IVORY SILK'

BEACH PEA

Wednesday, 8:00 AM.  70 degrees, humidity 70%, wind NW, calm.  The sky is blue but hazy and the barometer still predicts rain, of which there is no sign at resent. It looks like it will be a nice, somewhat warm, early summer day.
    We are fast transitioning into real summer.  Japanese tree lilacs are now in full bloom.  There are a number of varieties, that pictured is Syringia reticulata ‘Ivory Silk.”  Its compact form and huge, fragrant blooms makes it an excellent small street tree. The Monarch butterflies love it.
    There are a number of small, shrubby Asian maples that are decorative and useful, the one pictured is the Amur maple, Acer ginnala.  It  bears small clusters of yellowish flowers followed by bright red, dual-winged maple fruits  that are quite pretty.  It has excellent fall color.  It has some value as a small street tree or as a border plant.
    Beach peas, Lathyros japanica, of course in the pea family, are blooming everywhere now along roadsides and on the beaches.  The rose-pink  flower clusters can be really outstanding, but the pea-vines are very hard to control and it is best kept out of the garden.  The species name refers to the fact that it is circumpolar in northern latitudes.  It is an iconic plant of the Great Lakes.  Being a seashore plant, it even shows up in Chile.
    Political commentary:  the Administration’s response to the Supreme Court’s mixed decision on Arizona’s enforcement of  immigration laws is to double down on the state’s attempt to control illegals within its borders. The INS is now essentially enforcing only those federal immigration laws which it wishes to, and that for obviously political reasons. 
    One usually associates selective enforcement of the law with sleazy little scams such as not arresting the mayor’s  son for DUI. This selective enforcement, however, is on a huge scale and involves national security. But, large or small, selective law enforcement scams rob all law abiding citizens of their right to equal enforcement of the law, a fundamental freedom under our Constitution.