It’s About Time – July 2015

Hot weather is great for the bugs. Swallowtails and dragonflies dart around with incredible zip in the morning sun, their warm bodies full of energy. Spiders are getting prominent now, with dozens of little, baby spider webs all around our house. They protect us from mosquitoes. When approached they shake their webs vigorously, supposedly to make themselves appear a blur and not catchable by potential predators.

This year some kind of small caterpillar, possibly a moth larva, has devastated the poison hemlock that’s so abundant in open, sunny spots around Delta Ponds. Maybe it could be used for control of this weed. There seems little effort to control poison hemlock despite it being deadly poisonous. It is especially abundant in the valley between Medford and Ashland. It looks very much like parsley. If it didn’t smell so bad there probably would be many more deaths reported.

Warm weather invites us to head for the coolness of the hills. With so little snow up there, the mosquito season is likely to end early. Camping in the woods is a good time to learn to tell the difference between the western red cedar and incense cedar. These two tend to occupy separate forest types. Western red cedar is more abundant to the north where incense cedar becomes scarce. Incense cedar is much more common in the mixed hardwood/conifer forests to the south. Their main region of overlap is in Lane County, both abundant here. Use the comparative drawings to make an easy identification.

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!