BLACK EYED SUSAN AND THE STOCK MARKET

PRAIRIE CONE FLOWER

COREOPSIS  FLOWER AND SEED HEAD

BLACK EYED SUSAN

Wednesday, 8:30 AM.  72 degrees F at the ferry dock, 68 on the back porch.  Wind W, mostly calm with light to moderate gusts.  Humidity 75%, after a brief shower last night.  The barometer is wavering downward, now at 29.97".  Highs will be in the mid-seventies for the balance of the week, with mostly clear skies and chances of a thunderstorm on Sunday.  Looks like summer is finally here,.
    It being almost August, it will soon be prime blooming time for prairie and meadow species, and native plant restorations in the Bayfield area will be at their height of interest.  Although prairie technically is not really part of the far northern flora, most of the more northerly prairie species grow here in one plant association or another; meadow, beach, fen, etc. All the plants mentioned here are in the sunflower family, which pretty much rules the prairies and meadows at theis time of year.
    The prairie coneflower, Ratibida pinnata, is now in bloom.  It is a tall, very strong perennial wildflower, excellent in native plantings or the garden.
    The black eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, is a familiar roadside wildflower common to prairies and meadows and also makes an excellent garden perennial, although it may spread too much.
    We have mentioned the tickseed, Coreopsis lanceolata, before; it is almost through blooming.
    . What do the stock and bond markets and credit ratings (The stock market reached a new high, over 21,000 yesterday) have to do with  prairies, ecology and conservation? Everything.  Without money, public or private, either through taxation or gift,  there can be no restoration projects, no research, no education. 

   Throughout history, poor countries have always been those in ecological jeopardy; ignorance, deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, monocultures, starvation;  only wealth and knowledge can produce “sustainability” and ecological health in the modern world, although it is no guarantee.  

    Want sustainability and ecological health without wealth? Get ready to see ninety percent of the people of the earth die.