Incredible Seeds

Plant grown from 32,000 year old seed.

Recently, Russian scientists unearthed 32,000 year old seeds from Siberian permafrost.  These seeds had remained frozen underground at an average temperature of 19 degrees Fahrenheit over these millenniums.  They were hidden by a squirrel in its burrow but were subsequently buried under 38 meters of sediments and permafrost.  While finding ancient seeds buried deep in permafrost in itself is quite impressive, even more impressive is the fact that these scientists were actually able to germinate and grow some of these seeds!  Previously, the unofficially oldest seed ever germinated and grown was a 10,000 year old lupine seed found by a gold miner in the Canadian Yukon.   Officially though, the oldest seed ever germinated was a 2,000 year old Methuselah tree seed (ancestor of the modern date palm) found in ancient Jewish ruins located in modern day Israel (Click here for story).  So this new official record of 32,000 years blows away any of the previous records.  It also attests to the seeds amazing ability to survive adverse conditions for extremely long periods of time, simply waiting for the right conditions to germinate and grow again.  Extended dormancy of seeds is quite common in desert plants where seeds commonly lay dormant in dry desert soils for decades, waiting for just the right temperature and moisture conditions.  Marshes and permafrost areas also store seeds for long periods of time in their water saturated and or frozen soil conditions. 

Here's the story from National Geographic: 32,000-Year-Old Plant Brought Back to Life—Oldest Yet

 Supposedly, the ancient plant looks slightly different from modern day plants.  I couldn't find any images to verify this but it will be interesting to compare the genetics of the ancient to modern day plants.  I am sure a lot more research will go into the genetics of this ancient plant, comparing it to its modern ancestors.  I am guessing someone will do a little more digging in the area in order to unearth more frozen seeds to see what can be found. 

February in the Sonoran Desert

Fiddleneck and Mexican Poppy.

Well it has been a very dry past few months here in the Sonoran Desert.  There has been no significant rainfall in the Phoenix area since mid December when we received about one inch of rainfall.  It also has been slightly warmer than usual which has forced many of the wildflowers that germinated in December into bloom early.  Even so, the weather has been absolutely beautiful for months straight.  Every day is just another day in paradise… I just wish it would rain! 

Normally, there is not a lot blooming in the desert right now.  Good rainfall in December followed by months with no significant rainfall though has resulted in a few small wildflowers blooming here and there though.  Desert wildflowers are highly adapted to this type of rainfall pattern.  Of course they grow best with more rain but still have the ability to produce after only one good rainfall.  Most Sonoran Desert wildflowers will lay dormant as seeds in the soil for years.  Only when temperatures are just right and there is sufficient rainfall will these seeds germinate.  Seeds can patiently wait decades for just the right germination conditions.  If after germination no rainfall is received the flower can quickly produce a few tiny flowers and seed before dying in the desert drought.  If more rainfall is received the plant can grow much larger, produce more flowers and more seeds.  This year with our lack of rain there are quite a few tiny wildflowers beginning to show themselves.  I have found Mexican Poppy, Lupine, Scorpionweed, Fiddleneck, and Small-Flowered Eurcrypta.  Many only a few inches tall.  In better rainfall years these flowers can often reach a foot or more.  Of the more woody plants Wolfberry is the only one in I noticed blooming in abundance, and the bees sure seem to like it.

Lupine

Desert Mistletoe berries also are ripe across the desert right now.  Many Mesquites, Ironwoods, and Palo Verde trees are infected with this parasite.  Right now Phainopeplas can be found perching atop many of these infected trees and eating the abundance of reddish berries.  Of all the desert birds, the Phainopepla is the fondest and has the most intimate relationship with mistletoe.  Of course the berries feed the bird, but mistletoe also depends on the bird to distribute the seeds once they pass through the digestive tract.  There are many other birds in the desert being the northward migration is beginning.  In-fact, the other day I saw an American Robin.  If you are lucky enough to be near some water there are an abundance of waterfowl migrating though.  Canadian Geese, American Coot, Mallards, Ring-Necked, and Redheads are all relatively common right now. 

Scorpion flower

As we move into March it looks like it will continue to be dry.  Without rain, wildflower blooms should peak within the next three weeks or so.  Typically we have a decent rain mid-March that will extend the wildflower season a little longer though.  But come late March and April our days of beautiful weather are numbered as the heat begins creeping up on us.  

Life of a Hickory Tree Part 3

This is part three and the last post of the Life of a Hickory Tree.

As the hickory slowly grows it develops a hard strong wood.  While this wood structure helps the tree survive drought and windy conditions, it also makes it highly useful to humans.  Hickory is well known for making strong tool handles.  Native Americans frequently made bows and arrows from the wood.  Settlers also used it to make wagon wheels, skis, and old fashion golf clubs.  It is also great fire wood being its dense wood burns long and hot making great charcoal.  This extremely useful wood made the hickories some of the first to be cut down by early settlers.  Even today hickory is used in making tools, all kinds of wood craft, and for smoke curing meats.  In my opinion, hickory smoked meats really are some of the best tasting!

As the shagbark hickory grows it develops a tall straight trunk and often columnar shaped tree.  Oak trees are often spreading, making them especially adapted to growing in grasslands where they can spread their branches horizontally to gather light and there is little competition with nearby trees shading them.  Hickories with their narrower more columnar shape are more of a woodland species grow up towards sunlight as they compete with nearby trees.  As the hickory slowly grows it loses its ability to re-sprout if damaged by fire.  Larger trees however are increasingly resistant to fire as they grow.  This fire resistance though is nothing compared to oaks thick insulating bark and large hickories still can only tolerate very low intensity ground fires.  If larger trees are exposed to higher intensity fires, even if the flames do not initially kill the tree, damaged cambium becomes highly prone to rot which can subsequently kill the tree. 
For the first 20 to 30 years of life, the shagbark produces a beautifully smooth, gray bark.  This bark is very thin and even a very shallow cut into it will produce the green cambium.  As the tree ages though the bark becomes increasingly scaly, rough, and a gray-black color.  A much harder and slightly thicker layer of bark covers the trunk.  By the time the tree reaches 30 years of age the bark begins to fissure and flake outwards, producing the classic shaggy bark these trees are known for.  I have never heard anything about the fire resistance of this shaggy character of bark but I suspect it catches fire relatively well and it part of the reason these trees are not very fire resistant.  The shaggy bark is so easily recognizable and memorable that once told, even a child can easily identify the tree.  The flaky bark also is quite useful as a hiding place for insects and a roosting location for bats.  The fact that many bugs hide among the shaggy bark benefits many species of insect loving birds that search out the flakes and crevices for dinner.  Shagbark hickory is such an important bat roosting location that when mature shagbarks are logged a bat population can nearly disappear.  Some birds, such as the brown creeper, also nest under bark flakes.  Humans also prior to 1900 or so utilized the inner bark to produce a yellow dye.  Today, a few people in the east boil the bark with sugar in a secret process to produce shagbark hickory syrup which some claim puts maple syrup to shame. 

The shaggy bark of this hickory provides homes for many insects as well as some birds and bats.  

Around 40 years of age the shagbark begins to produce larger mast crops.  Large mast production occurs every one to five years depending on spring weather conditions.  Animal populations typically fluctuate along with large oak and hickory mast years.  In years with large mast production there is a large amount of food to go around for deer, bear, turkey, woodpeckers, ducks, and jays.  As a result these animals will often produce many young and the population will grow.  Years with low mast crops will result in little food allowing fewer wildlife offspring to survive therefore causing populations to shrink.  Though inconsistent in production and causing the rise, fall and rise again, in many animal populations, the overall benefit of these mast producing trees is huge.  Other trees, such as maples, produce huge numbers of seeds every year but benefit wildlife populations little in comparison of the oaks and hickories. 
The hickory can continue to grow and produce mast until about 200 years of age, after that most trees begin to decline.  Maximum lifespan is likely between 200 and 300 years.  At these old ages the hickory has become a tall straight tree of 70 to 80 feet tall.  Canopy width is typically about half or less of their height.  At this stage in life the shagbark has become a stately tree.  The long flakes of shaggy bark make these trees presence in the woodland clear.  Dark colored and straight trunks with their beautiful dark green foliage make these trees stately columns.  In spring these leaves burst forth from large scarlet colored leaf buds.  In fall the bright yellow leaves are a strong contrast against the more drab yellow and reds of neighboring oaks.  Though smaller, shorter lived, and less common than the oak, the hickory is a cornerstone tree to Midwestern and Eastern woodlands.  It is unfortunate it often takes a backseat to oaks being it is such a magnificent tree in itself.