May 26, 2005
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THURSDAY WHATEVERMeanwhile, back in the Land of Good News, a whole lot of whoopee is being reported by national public radio (the only media that cares) from a mountain out east of San Francisco where the “holy grail” of extinct flowers was discovered by UC Berkeley graduate student, Michael Park. The Mount Diablo buckwheat has been lost for
70 years and thought gone forever because grasses were introduced to its habitat that bullied it out. First reported in 1862, there are only seven historical records of the plant. But on May 10, young Mr. Park hiked out to a remote section of Mt Diablo State Park that was donated by Save Mount Diablo and found 20 of the tiny pink-flowered plants in full bloom. When the folks he took out to see it walked right by, he said (I kid you not), “They couldn’t grok that the thing could be so small and dainty.” Well, they’re having to keep the exact location private so tourists won’t rush out and trample it. Internationally-renowned botanists are saying things like, “If it had really been lost, it would have been gone forever, and a unique part of our heritage vanished permanently.” The buckwheat is important because it is the only presumed extinct plant restricted to the East Bay and 
one of only three plants endemic to the mountain, that is, found there and nowhere else. Of course they’re going to gather some seeds and keep them in reserve there in Berkeley, home of radical causes, so the species won’t decline further. Michael Park is having a heck of a good first year in graduate school. The hoopla over the find has interfered with his field studies at a critical time of year, but he says he’s trying to enjoy it. Remember that old spiritual that says, “ain’t gonna study war no more?” It makes me feel good just for a minute that Somebody is studying the Mount Diablo buckwheat today. Who knows how much longer it and us are going to be around?
Deep Thought: “As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way.”
Today I am grateful for: Pacifism
Guess the Movie: “I play, coach stays. He goes, I go.” Answer: Hoosiers, 1986.
Winner: tearsign.
Next Dem Battlefront: Iraq
by Arianna Huffington
Now that the Democrats have won the battle over the nuclear option (or, atleast, come away with a tie), they need to turn their attention to what it’s going to take to become more than a minority party that wins a battle every now and then. They have been surprisingly successful at battling Bush’s domestic agenda, but if they’re going to broaden their appeal they firsthave to broaden their battlefronts to include Iraq. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 9:19 pm
+ = Tub to vet and back home.
- = Cost me over $200.
Comments (14)
Yay! Yahoo! Woot! Woot! Way to go Michael Park!
Hurrah. That’s the feel good news of the day. Rare beauties. And the quote is either Friday Night Lights or Hoosiers. I think.
Hoosier! Oh yah!
that is really cool…
Nice to see a win for biodiversity.
Dear Lionne,
I heard about this just today on NPR at lunch. A couple of weeks ago the Ivory Billed Woodpecker, also thought extinct since the 40s, has been found in Texas, if I remember correctly.
When I heard this today, I wondered about the Dodo. Will he be walking around snacking on Mount Diablo buckwheat sometime in our lifetimes?
Perhaps he’ll even fly.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
What a nice story!
Here in the midwest, another little holy grail of nature was recently seen again, down in Arkansas–an Ivory Billed Woodpecker. (or rather a few of them.) They were thought to have been extinct for at least 30 years. Good news, sometimes, eh?
oops, I see a poster got to this info before me. Well, our entries complemented each other!!
A grand hurrah for the brave little buckwheat. Long may it live, long may it thrive. In peace. ~Paloma
I’ve been to the summit of Mount Diablo one time. I didn’t discover any presumed-to-be extinct species of flowers when I was there.
Great blog. I blogged recently about the dreaded kudzu vine in the south, & how it chokes out natural flora. We don’t realize how introduction of non-native plants & animals affect the environment until it is too late.
I had read this story and was very excited. I love survivors, especially flowers. Indiana was home to more native orchids than Hawaii, though they’ve long since been decimated. I’ve searched top to bottom for orchids growing on our farm but haven’t found any yet. But I remain hopeful. What a thrill it must be to find something that is presumed extinct. I think Michael Park deserves his PhD already. It’s the equivalent of discovering a great archeology site.
Michael Park is to be commended! He should be awarded for finding the buckwheat–not necessarily his Ph.D, yet! So heartening when something thought extinct, is found. Loving your deep thought! Dems NEED to make a stand on Iraq, NOW!