-
The irony of Bermuda
It seems ironic that the namesake of the cosmopolitan Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is actually bereft of any native grasses at all. We visited the island of Bermuda earlier this month, and the first grass I encountered at the cruise dock was….wait for it…bermudagrass! Although C. dactylon is actually native to the old world, it picked…
-
Flowering Buffaloes
More than two years after I discovered and marveled over the legendary Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalo grass) that had escaped into the lawns of Rutgers University, I visited again in June 2026, and this time found them flowering. The last time I saw them, it was easy to tell them apart from the rest of the…
-
What is a “sidewalk prairie” or “sidewalk grassland”?
In my mind, a “sidewalk prairie” (or “sidewalk grassland”) refers to the one or two strips of grassy areas that border a sidewalk, with one being towards the street, and the other fronting some other landscaping, such as a wall or taller shrubs and trees. This was something I was thinking about during a morning…
-
Hiking Quito and the Páramo at Rucu Pichincha, Ecuador (and a farewell to the Galapagos)
Gracias al Dr. Aníbal Prina, Dr. Paúl Gonzáles y Dra. Ana Mireya Guerrero por su invaluable ayuda en la identificación. After almost two weeks going from island to island in the Galapagos, it was finally time to fly on to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Although we flew into the Galapagos via the San Cristobal…
-
What is an animal to a plant?
To most plants, animals are transient flickering shadows.Sometimes bothersome, but mostly inconsequential. With fast lives that flare up briefly under the sun, and then are gone in the long floral passing of time.
-
Surreal Volcanic Landscapes, Pristine Beaches, and Flamingoes (Isla Isabela, Galapagos Islands)
A fast two hour ferry ride got us from Isla Santa Cruz to Isla Isabela, and it was like going from a big city center to an idyllic deserted island. Isla Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos by land area, but with at most 3000 residents, it is the least populated by far…
Sejarah Poaceae (Volume 2)
The Story of Grasses – Grasslands and Grassy Open Ecosystems