Eugene Weekly : It’s About Time : 10.07.10

By David Wagner

October is a funny month, full of surprises every year. We expect it to usher in the rainy season but it is most unreliable. Some years it hardly rains at all in October and some years the tomatoes and grapes ripen right up to the end of the month. With the crummy tomato summer we’ve had, I’m hoping for the latter. However, this would mean that the mushrooms won’t be as plentiful. Either outcome is good: no rain and the tomatoes ripen, lots of rain and it’s mushrooms erumpent.

If the season does end abruptly it is possible to ripen tomatoes still on the vine, but in the shed. I’ve had pretty good luck uprooting an entire tomato plant, shaking off the dirt, pruning lanky branch tips, and hanging upside down in a cool storage room. So long as it doesn’t freeze in there, the tomatoes will continue to ripen nicely. They are less likely to rot on hanging vines than if picked and spread on newspapers.

I love late season butterflies, especially the little golden brown skippers. They are especially noticeable around fall blooming asters. There are two that might show up in your garden in October, sachem and woodland skipper.

Do not overlook Jupiter putting on a show in the night sky. Late last month it was as close to earth as it will get for many years. It is still the brightest star in the sky. Look high in the southern sky between 11 pm and midnight.

David Wagner is a botanist who has worked in Eugene for more than 30 years. Every year he makes the Willamette Valley Nature Calendar, available this month at Down to Earth and the UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene; First Alternatives and Grass Roots Bookstore in Corvallis. Reach him at fernzenmosses@me.com.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!