It took awhile as I had to get use to the new system, but the new website is up, though a work in progress. I still need to work on the design, and I still need to add way to subscribe and to get the feeds up. Nevertheless, I look forward to continuing our journey into the world of grasses and grass ecosystems.  Go to new website   ..read more

I've been busy with life this past holiday month, and have been working on some writing, including a new article about the awesomely quirky Orcutt grasses for a magazine, but I'll be moving the website to my own server starting this February. It's been great here in googleland, but I want better control of the site and the only way to do that is to migrate it to something that I can fully control. After awhile, perhaps the new site will eclipse this old version, much like the newest invader in Florida above (Saccharum spontaneum) has started to overshadow the less showy Cenchrus purpureus (wi ..read more

Looking out at the ocean from the balcony of a Celebrity cruise ship We took a cruise this month, and we had a balcony that allowed us to watch the ocean from our stateroom. I spent many hours just sitting and reading and watching the sea go by, and marveling at the immensity of the view outside. Looking out at the ocean always makes me feel small, almost insignificant. Its vastness, its seeming permanence, puts many things into perspective.  Paradoxically, it also imbues me with a deep serenity that makes cruising a favorite way to relax in between bouts of work. In almost the s ..read more

Mounds of Zoysia matrella (Manila grass) along banks of canal leading to the sea I was walking along the main thoroughfare Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard in Aruba last week when I came upon an odd sight in Wilhelmina Park. The tiny Zoysia matrella (aka Manila grass) is a common turf grass in tropical countries, where it is sometimes known in the horticultural world by the incorrect name "Zoysia tenuifolia". It is in the subfamily Chloridoideae and forms thick beautiful sod using both aboveground stolons and underground rhizomes. Muscovy duck strutting in Wilhelmina Park, Aruba. I ..read more

Clusters of Cenchrus ciliaris (buffelgrass) with whitish flowerheads in Aruba To say that the southern Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao (which are fondly called the ABC islands) have a somewhat small number of grass species would be accurate, and these include quite a few invasive species that are also prevalent in many other Caribbean countries. During my visit to these islands last week, one of the more prominent invasives was Chloris barbata (subfamily Chloridoideae), its digitate inflorescence a common sight in disturbed areas. This species was present not only in ..read more

A storm is passing over the nation's grasslands (image by Christian Collins, Wikipedia)  What is the North American Grasslands Conservation Act of 2022? In 2022, Senators Ron Wyden, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bennet introduced a bill which would take bold actions to conserve and restore native grasslands in North America through voluntary, science-based efforts. This will help conserve grassland ecosystems in order to sequester carbon, prevent wildfires, and stop the further loss of wildlife. It will also address and support the interests of various stakeholders, including ranch ..read more

Tall flowering grasses line the path I could spend tons of posts on the beauty that we saw when we stayed in the Boulder, Colorado area this last summer, but one of the more notable periods of our stay was when many of the so-called wheatgrasses were in flower. The Enchanted Mesa trail in the Flatirons hiking area is considered a moderate trail, but I remember it was relatively easy and flat. You also get some good spectacular views along part of the way. The arching flowerheads of T. intermedium But the best part of hiking this trail is that large parts of it lie in savanna ..read more

Corn stalks for sale at Lowes in New Jersey  It's that time of the year again when spooky shenanigans slither into the normal daily lives of people. It's when kids in costumes defy the odds and gather candies from strangers, and the Simpsons treat us to another round of entertaining stories about really weird stuff.  Yes, it's Creepy Corn Day (aka Spooky Corn Day, aka Halloween), which should be that celebration's official name, given that so much of the traditions associated with this day are related to the species Zea mays (corn/maize). This was the thought that came to me ..read more

Male flowerhead of Bouteloua dactyloides (Colorado) In 1977, a movie called Star Wars was just starting out on its path to becoming one of the most successful science fiction franchises in history. Marty McFly had yet to drive his DeLorean back to the future; Arnold Schwarzenegger was a relatively unknown bodybuilder whose metamorphosis into the Terminator was years into the future, and even E.T. had no need to phone home just yet. Male flowerheads of Bouteloua dactyloides (Colorado) In this same year, in a university town in New Jersey, plant clippin ..read more

My life, as well as the lives of billions of other people, are intertwined with grasses...we are touched by them....from the time we wake up in the morning, to the time we sleep at night. This was what I tried to convey during a talk with Matt Candelas of In Defense of Plants. In my case, when I wake up in the morning, I (like literally billions of other people around the world) encounter members of the grass family, or derivatives of it, throughout the day. The first thing I do in the morning is eat a bowl of oatmeal, and oatmeal of course is from the grass Avena sativa.  When I eat my ..read more