Paul Simons writes a series of illuminating articles on plants in his "Plantwatch" columns for the Guardian newspaper. In his February 21st article, he wrote about the recovery of the redwoods at California's Big Basin state park after a wildfire blackened the trees and destroyed their foliage, raising fears that the redwoods might not survive. After two years, the forest is green again as new needles emerged, most of the growth coming from buds under the bark or from deep within the trees, with some having been dormant for more than a thousand years. The buds utilized sugars stored for up to 21 years to power this growth.
In an earlier article, Simons reveals the positive impact of mosses in combating air pollution and changes in our climate. Mosses can be found in such varied environments as deserts and polar areas. They act as pioneers in bare ground for successive waves of plants and store tons of carbon. Mosses absorb pollutants and dust along with moisture through their leaves. Soils covered with moss have more nutrients, better levels of decomposing materials, lower numbers of soil-borne plant diseases and are less prone to erosion than soil without mosses.
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AuthorI am a Northwest artist making collages from mulberry papers stamped by hand from original images that I have carved. Archives
April 2024
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