Pollenatrix

Hiking in Bavaria

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Originally uploaded by gills.

Some pictures of a day hike we took a couple of weekends ago. We took the "Bob" (a regional train) out to a small Bavarian village, and walked between two lakes: Schliersee Tegernsee. It's about 15 km up and over some mountains -- very pretty, and considered an "easy" walk by the locals. Oi. We ended up (me almost kissing the ground) at the village of Tergensee, at a monastery that has been brewing its own beer since 746AD or so.

It starts with cheese in the fridge

I'm almost recovered from my encounter with Oktoberfest. Not thoroughly enough to remember (or want to remember) the consequences of drinking three 1-litre mugs of beer in a tightly packed and very rowdy beer tent, so you'll have to wait for the gory details. My stomach hasn't settled yet (and to think the rest of 'em went on the roller coaster afterward...)

Happily, I'm vertical today and nearly back to my old self, surfing the Web for nuggets of news. This one I liked:

A Cornish Dowser's Sixth Sense from NPR (America's National Public Radio)

It's an interview with a delightfully named Hamish Miller (a man with a brogue as thick as his first name) about dowsing, and how to do it. Apparently, it starts with the cheese in your fridge, and if you get really good at it, progresses to walking through walls.

Adjusting the lights...

Well, well. It seems I'm not the only one caught up in the breathless debate over whether orchids are parasites, or not. Malaysia's The Star Online has printed another article on the subject, this time by the biologist quoted in the original article (see my post of September 7th):

I REFER to the article Petals with a purpose (StarTwo, Sept 7), which contains factual errors and misquotes that have put me in a bad light with the scientific community and will seriously compromise my professional reputation. The article on this page addresses the issue."

Whoa, heavy stuff. As you can see, orchid people take this kind of thing very seriously. You wouldn't believe the kind of obscure minutiae that turns into full-blown flame wars on discussion lists....

"Plant-fungus relationships, known as mycorrhiza, are nothing unusual in nature, and a wide number of plants rely on such partnerships to survive under the harsh rules of nature. So do orchids, and their mycorrhiza help them to survive in extreme conditions where other plants do not thrive.  

Most mycorrhizal associations are mutualistic, that is, both partners derive a benefit from the relationship. The role of the fungus includes increasing the absorption area in the soil surrounding the plant root, and/or providing the plant with minerals and other nutrients that it needs but can only partially or not at all obtain by itself. The plant in turn will provide the fungus with carbonaceous matter (e.g. sugars, starch) that the fungus will use as a source of its own nutrition. 

In orchids, however, the plant-fungus relationship takes on a distinctly parasitic character with the fungus not deriving any apparent benefit from the relationship."

Read on if you must know more...

Who needs farmers anyway?

Apparently this is a question that is being asked in other Western nations besides Canada. As this article from the BBC points out,

"...instead of farmers trying to grow food on expensive land in overcrowded islands, wouldn't it be better to turn the countryside over to recreation and leisure?

Why not just import the food we cannot grow profitably at home, especially now that the European Union has expanded to include countries like Hungary and Poland, which produce high quality food for far less money?"

Though the article does go on to redeem itself by promoting the idea of sustainable economics through the local production of food, this crass statement does highlight the fact that people have a frightening naivety when it comes to food. And a frightening faith that other countries, less short-sighted than themselves, will always make sure there's enough to go around for everyone.

Interesting. Once farmland is lost, it is essentially lost to agricultural forever. "Forever" is a long time. What happens if other countries we rely on to grow food decide they should build housing developments and shopping centres and industrial parks on their farmland as well? What happens if other countries continue to misuse their farmland to the extent that it all becomes useless? (see my post on the looming water catastrophe in Asia, "Planet Dustbowl").

My friend Dave Sands is deeply involved in trying to save some of Canada's best farmland from suburban development. This land, the most productive in Canada and perhaps some of the best farmland in the world, is rapidly being lost to developers making a quick buck, and local governments who are sorely tempted by the possibility of reaping higher taxes than they could ever get from farmland. As Dave says, "because people will eat forever, we must plan to farm forever".

Again, to quote Dave:

"As consumers, with the shelves at our food stores always full, we often forget the importance of our farmlands and the farmers who have given us food security. It is difficult to think this will ever change, but unfortunately, food supplies for Western nations are becoming seriously threatened -- a sad reality in many parts of the world. These concerns are intensified with desertification occurring at an alarming rate. The UN reports that one-third of our world agricultural lands are at risk at a time when the net population of the world is growing the size of the city of Vancouver every two days. To add to these concerns, the USA, which is responsible for Canada's additional food supplies throughout the year, is losing 50 acres of prime farmland each hour, and is expected to be a net importer of food within 40 years."

Who needs farmers and farmland? Why should we concern ourselves with being able to feed our own population? Check out this article:

Our fragile food supply
The capacity of the world’s commercial agriculture to produce sufficient food faces some severe tests

Awwwww....

Article from BBC News:

Consultant gynaecologist Neil Maclachlan has clocked up a career first - delivering an orang-utan.

Because humans and apes are very similar anatomically Jersey Zoo asked the consultant, who works at nearby Jersey General Hospital, if he would help with the difficult birth.

And bouncing baby boy Jaya - meaning 'important or famous' in Sumatran - was born weighing a healthy 4lbs (1.86kg)

...caesarean sections on great apes are very rare and this is only the second time that the procedure has been carried out in Jersey - the last time was 14 years ago.

Mr Maclachlan, a consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician, said he had been delighted to help - the birth had been an exciting break from his routine human births.

"We do C-sections at the zoo ourselves as well, but you want to give your animals the best chance you can and if you can get someone to operate on them who does this every day then that is what you do."

Mr Lopez said that mum and baby ape were now doing fine.

"She is the perfect mother and she has had lots of experience," he said.

Baby Jaya is now doing well

"After she had first had the operation she looked at the baby as if to say that is nice, but do take it away and then when the pain went she grabbed him and suckled him she has a very strong maternal instinct.

"Just two or three days after the operation she was up and about."

Only about 7,000 of this species survive and some experts are predicting that they will become extinct in the wild within just five years.

Orchid Discovery in Peru

An important discovery of previously unknown orchid habitat was announced on the Orchid Digest list this morning.

"El Comercio, a Peruvian Newspaper, reports an exciting orchid habitat find by an engineer in the department of Huancavelica at 3700 m.a.s.l.

Reporter Raul  May Filio writes that the habitat has 145 orchid species in 42 genera, and that many of the species are unknown to science. It was estimated that there are some 70,000 orchid flowers per 2.5 acres.

President of the Huancavelica region, Salvador Espinoza, has stated that the area will immediately declared a National Reserve."

Complete article in Spanish:

Hallan gigantesco bosque de orquídeas en Huancavelica

Perspectives

I had an interesting conversation with my neighbour, Ursula, the other day. She's an older woman who has lived in this building for many years, and who tends to the gorgeous perennial gardens outside our doors. I frequently encounter her as I head out to take Jake for a walk, with her pruners and basket in hand and her head tucked into the flowers.

Her English is somewhat broken, but she's friendly and eager to practice, and we've been drawn together by our mutual love of gardening and dogs. Her elderly dog passed away last fall, and she always greets Jake with such... longing.

I don't know how we got on to the topic, but apparently Ursula nurses a strong desire to visit Canada. It's a primal urge shared by many of the German people I've met, almost as though Canada, and its wilderness, is a modern-day Avalon across the sea.

As she waved her hand around in the air, encompassing the gardens, the grounds, the trees surrounding us, she said,

"You must really miss all the open spaces. Europe is so crowded with people."

I thought back to my days in Toronto. To the inner city apartment, to High Park -- crowded and definitely not big enough for the throngs of people seeking nature and green space on a warm summer day -- to the Beach, wall-to-wall people on the seawall and sidewalks. I thought about how a one hour drive here lands you smack in the alps; a similar journey out of Toronto or Vancouver or Montreal would land you in suburbia. I looked around me, at the trees, the quiet, and thought about how I could actually bicycle to the country in an hour without ever touching a road.

"Well", I replied, "most people live in cities in Canada. This is a lot nicer than Toronto."

"Yes", she said, "but you live in a very nice area of Munich."

I conceded, but privately thought that perhaps Ursula was romanticising things a bit. As far as the human environment and lifestyle is concerned, I don't think there's much to compare. City life is a quieter, slower pace here, almost old-fashioned in a way. Peple buy their food at vegetable stalls and farmer's markets, and tiny grocery stores that I haven't seen in Canada since the 60's. If you live in town, there's no need for a car; bicycles and subways and trolleys and wonderful regional train systems take care of transportation. Department stores still dominate; there is a mall, somewhere "out" there in the boonies, but there is really no need to visit; everything you need to buy is close at hand, including stylish clothing that would make any fashionista drool. On Sundays, everything closes but the museums and art galleries. The population heads to the mountains, to nearby lakes, to parks and beer gardens. No one is left out.

My perspective shifted slightly the following weekend, when we visited the alps with a group of friends. We had just finished a cable car ride to the top of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitz, and were enjoying a late afternoon beer beside a quiet lake. I looked around and was reminded of the landscape outside of Vancouver, and somehow we got on to the topic of wildlife. Laird told the story of how we once encountered a bear in our campsite, and I talked about the cougars that would come down from the mountains in Deep Cove and chase and eat the neighbourhood cats. Raccoons, coyotes... humdrum and ordinary co-habitants. Our friends listened intently, their eyes bugging out. Cougars? Bears? They could not imagine. Western Europe has long been a human and domesticated landscape. There are no wild tracts of forest left. Big predators were hunted out long ago.

And I suddenly saw, with their eyes, Canada. A lingering frontier of wildness, one of the few places left in the world where, even though humans crowd defensively in their towns and suburbia and cities, there are still wild animals and wild spaces left relatively untouched. I believe they think of Canada the way we think of Africa... or perhaps the Galapagos. I don't think we Canadians really appreciate the depth of our treasure and our responsibility -- we are stewards of an untouched wild landscape that is increasingly rare and threatened on a small planet. For those in Canada who believe that our old-growth forests are a renewable commodity, I suggest they get out and see the world. What we have in our care is among the last of its kind.

And we sure could use some lessons from the Munchners when it comes to urban lifestyle.

That's the spirit

Indulge me. Yesterday my dog did something that reminded me what a great character he is.

Munich is a cyclist's paradise, and as you can see from the picture Jake (my dog) and I have been taking full advantage of the hundreds of kilometres of bike trails through the city. In the city, the trails are 5-6 foot wide asphalt paths between the road and the sidewalk. On the busier paths, like Ludwigstrasse around the university, it's a veritable two-wheeled autobahn; dozens and dozens of cyclists, some hugging the inside (the "slow" lane) and others whizzing by at light speed. Woe to unsuspecting tourists who fail to stay clear of the bike paths... they take their lives in their hands almost to the same extent as wandering around on the road.

At one point in front of the university, Ludwigstrasse continues north but there's a crossing to the other side of the road. It's not like crossing a street...you're just riding along and suddenly there are bicycles stopped sideways in front of you, waiting for the light to turn so they can cross. I missed the little stoplight placed specially for bikes, and found myself screeching to a halt to avoid a 20 vehicle pile-up.

My poor little passenger in the back, who is usually pretty adept at holding on, didn't stand a chance this time. I looked back, and there he was, partly in but most falling out of the front of the cart. His hips, which don't work as well as they should (he's 13 years old, after all), were still caught inside the cart, until he slithered down into a heap on the sidewalk, between the cart and the rear wheel of the bicycle.

Uh, oh, I thought. That must have hurt. And scared the *crap* out of him, I bet.

Concerned, I made sympathetic noises, and helped him get to his feet. By this time all bicycles had disappeared, and it was just him and me on the sidewalk. He wobbled a bit, then gave himself a shake. He looked at me, I looked at him, then he stuck his head in the back of the cart and grabbed his pink floppy frisbee. He backed away and shook it like a dead rat, and then leaped right back into the cart. With the frisbee hanging out of his mouth and his cloudy old eyes full of challenge, he gave me a big doggie grin -- as if to say, "Hey, let's get going!! what's the hold up???".

Inspiring, that. After 13 years, he still surprises me.

Not so fast..

Thanks to the knowledgeable people on the Orchids Digest list, I can say with confidence that the reporter who described orchids as "parasites" hasn't really got her story quite straight. Though she was very convincing, I'll grant that.

As one esteemed professor on the list writes:

In zoology, there is a fine discrimination between so-called true parasites and parasitoids, the later killing the host as a consequence it completing its life cycle.  In botany, there is even a finer line between parasites and their hosts, usually taking the form of symbioses or mutualisms; this is the relationship of some orchids with some fungi, but apparently not all nor always.  To confuse matters even more, what may start, or appear to start as a parasitic relationship does not necessarily remain, but may become a symbiotic relationship, or a reversed predatory role."

Splitting hairs, in other words. Calling an orchid a parasite on the fungus that helps nourish it is just too simple.

One woman on the list does have a point, though.

"They have convinced homo sapiens to rescue them from their plight of near-extinction, feed them, care for them, and even propagate them. They take nutrients from us, their hosts, and, yes, they allow us to survive, allbeitly, much the poorer after we acquire them and design, build and maintain their artificial habitats. Known as one of the most complex of the plant kingdom, I'd say, parasites or not, they have done pretty well for themselves."

Orchids: Parasites, or not?

It's always been my understanding that orchids are not parasites. However, I came across an article this morning that declares (among other things) just the opposite. I thought it was interesting enough to share:

Petals with a purpose from The Star Online, Malaysia:

...For all their diversity, orchids share one common trait: they rely solely on other organisms, particularly fungi, to survive – a characteristic which Jutta says is quite distinctive and serves as a source of confusion to scientists. 

“Fungi play a crucial role in the biology of many plants because they convert oxygen to compounds that plants can use to grow, but orchids depend on fungi well into maturity.” Beneath their good looks, orchids are parasites, says Jutta. “This conclusion was established only at the beginning of the last century, and after much debate, it has finally been accepted and scientifically proven. 

“Orchids use fungi as a means of nutrient transport. The plant even produces sugary matter for the fungi, which feed on carbohydrates, to attract them.” 

Once the fungus penetrates a certain point within the plant’s cells, says Jutta, the cells will secrete an enzyme that breaks down the fungal tissues, keeping the fungus in check and preventing it from invading the plant further. 

The dissolved fungal tissue is then broken down into vitamins, fatty acids and carbohydrates which the plant uses for its own growth. 

“This cycle is repeated over and over, and each cell is re-colonised several times.” This process, she adds, begins as soon as an orchid seed germinates. 

“When a seed’s outer shell is broken, it is ‘invaded’ by a fungus, but the seed contains the enzyme that keeps it in check, not allowing the fungus to destroy it.” 

Once this happens, the fungus is not killedbut it simply becomes a vessel through which the orchid derives nutrients for its own development, says Jutta. 

But while orchids are not prized for their parasitic characteristics, they are certainly appreciated for their incredible beauty.