Eugene Weekly : It’s About Time : 5.6.10

By David Wagner

The black cottonwoods by the river began leafing out and flowering at the beginning of March this year, rather earlier than usual. Their bud-burst takes place in two pulses with little overlap, separated by a slow week or so. The first cohort of cottonwoods gambles on the chance that an early spring will allow an early start to the growing season. The late cohort hedges its bets, delaying bud-burst to accommodate any late season freezing weather.

The Oregon white oak, known as Garry oak outside of Oregon, is much more conservative. The oaks simply wait until May to get a full crown of leaves. Bud-burst, with pollen catkins suspended to shake in the wind, begins at the end of April. The female flowers, like those of most wind pollinated trees, are all but invisible to any except oak lovers. Only the development of acorns later in the season shows their location. With the final closure of the canopy in the broadleaf trees, all the bird nests we saw during the winter disappear from view. Do the nest builders return to the same nest year after year? You must be a careful observer to determine this; it varies among different species of birds.

The peak of the wildflower season is celebrated in the Eugene area by the Wildflower Festival at Mount Pisgah Arboretum from 10 am to 4 pm Sunday, May 16. Monkey flowers from the mountains, prairie stars from the grasslands, and products of local native plant nurseries will be on display.

David Wagner is a botanist who has lived in Eugene for more than 30 years. He teaches mosses and leads plant walks. He may be reached 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!