DOGE Just Froze Funding To Vital Federal And Indigenous Conservation Programs Devoted To Supporting The

happy Thursday the 20th

forest management

nerdy about nature

I need to have a nice conversation with a stranger today or I will hit my head on a lamp post

everyone should watch this video. just learned something new. the usa is still genociding indigenous people and they won't stop.

Some of you may have heard about Monarch butterflies being added to the Threatened species list in the US and be planning to immediately rush out in spring and buy all the milkweed you can manage to do your part and help the species.

And that's fantastic!! Starting a pollinator garden and/or encouraging people and businesses around you to do the same is an excellent way to help not just Monarchs but many other threatened and at-risk pollinator species!

However.

Please please PLEASE do not obtain Tropical Milkweed for this purpose!

Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)--also commonly known as bloodflower, Mexican butterflyweed, and scarlet milkweed--will likely be the first species of milkweed you find for sale at most nurseries. It'll be fairly cheap, too, and it grows and propagates so easily you'll just want to grab it! But do not do that!

Tropical milkweed can cause a host of issues that can ultimately harm the butterflies you're trying to help, such as--

Harboring a protozoan parasite called OE (which has been linked to lower migration success, reductions in body mass, lifespan, mating success, and flight ability) for long periods of time

Remaining alive for longer periods, encouraging breeding during migration time/overwintering time as well as keeping monarchs in an area until a hard freeze wherein which they die

Actually becoming toxic to monarch caterpillars when exposed to warmer temperatures associated with climate change

However--do not be discouraged!! There are over 100 species of milkweed native to the United States, and plenty of resources on which are native to your state specifically! From there, you can find the nurseries dedicated to selling native milkweeds, or buy/trade for/collect seeds to grow them yourself!!

The world of native milkweeds is vast and enchanting, and I'm sure you'll soon find a favorite species native to your area that suits your growing space! There's tons of amazing options--whether you choose the beautiful pink vanilla-smelling swamp milkweed, the sophisticated redring milkweed, the elusive purple milkweed, the alluring green antelopehorn milkweed, or the charming heartleaf milkweed, or even something I didn't list!

And there's tons of resources and lots of people willing to help you on your native milkweed journey! Like me! Feel free to shoot me an ask if you have any questions!

Just. PLEASE. Leave the tropical milkweed alone. Stay away.

TLDR: Start a pollinator garden to help the monarchs! Just don't plant tropical milkweed. There's hundreds of other milkweeds to grow instead!

“Since 1959, our collection has been open to the public to educate visitors of all ages and provide permanent housing for almost 4,000 plant species, some of which are critically endangered.

We've always been dedicated to the conservation of plant species, including Welwitschias, cacti, succulents, orchids, cycads, water lilies, carnivorous plants, and so much more!

Earlier this week, we were informed that we have been placed on a shortlist for potential permanent closure and will know in May.

At the moment, we are still operating under our normal hours, allowing visitors, labs, and discussions to observe, touch, and smell all of our unique and fascinating plants-for free, as it has always been.

Currently, Marlene Simon, the director of the conservatory, is drafting a letter of support for those who wish to sign in support of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory to continue to get University funding.

Additionally, supporters are more than welcome to write to our department which is the College of Biological Sciences.

@ucdavisbiology

Lastly, we would deeply appreciate it if all supporters could share this news to help gather more support.

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UC Davis’s botany conservatory needs your help! Please message @ucdavisbiology on instagram and/or email UC Davis’s Chancellor Gary May at chancellor@ucdavis.edu about why this would be a loss for the botany community, endangered plant species, and the general public!

Please share if you can!

We should all be radicalized by Otter 841.

Living in Santa Cruz, CA, we see sea otters so often it's easy to forget that they are endangered. Otters are a keystone species, meaning they are critical to the health of the Monterey Bay. They protect it from being overrun by species like urchins and invasive crabs that endanger the kelp forest. Without otters, the kelp would disappear along with hundreds of other species. The seabed would erode, making our coast more vulnerable to storms. Otters maintain the balance of our Bay, and they are just one example of an endangered species whose conservation is critical to the species and people of an area.

Trump has proposed changing the interpretation of the Endangered Species Act so that it no longer protects habitat, creating a loophole that companies can use to disregard environmental protections, a move that would be catastrophic for endangered species across the country.

But we can fight.

Follow this link to make a public comment:

This site is open for public comment until the end of May 19th. Please comment and make your voice heard.

Also, call AND email your representatives in congress, and let them know you will not allow the Trump administration to roll back decades of environmental progress.

Don't let Otter 841 down.

Little things that feel like spells:

the sound of wind in trees like they're whispering secrets

old keys with no doors to open

puddles that look like portals if you stare long enough

half-finished poems tucked into coat pockets

dusty attics where forgotten memories nap

candlelight flickering like it’s trying to talk

tea leaves swirling like they’re casting fortunes

cloudy days that turn the world into a watercolor

finding feathers in strange places like a bird witch left them behind

All who are interested in the cause of plant diversity, pollinators, and the restoration of ecosystems, please pay attention to the simplest articulation of my advice:

You must seek those who know the ways of the plants and who share the plant agenda

Look for organizations, events and places where these people might be found, and wait for them to appear. Some are from the academic world, many others came to know the plants another way

If someone's email address is publicly available, you can use it to contact them. But the most powerful contacts will be those unreachable by online means

When you find someone, they will tell you the names of other people, so you can seek those people as well. When contacting new connections, tell them who sent you

If you learn to explore your surroundings, recognize the plants, gather their seeds and grow plants yourself, you will be a valued connection

Write down your contacts in a little book and make yourself slightly annoying by offering your service in some way

The plants will teach you the rest...start learning from the weeds, which are easy to know and easy to grow