It’s About Time – March 2021

Delphinium trolliifolium — Tall Larkspur

One of the rituals of my morning cup of coffee is checking where the rising sun casts its rays across the living room. At winter Solstice, the light shines in my eyes through the window in the southeast corner. Little by little, the sun rises farther north on the horizon. Each day, the sunbeams land more and more to my right. After a few weeks, the sun no longer shines in my eyes through that window. Not until the sun shines through the next window north am I blinded again. Our living room windows act as a kind of seasonal sundial.

By summer Solstice, the rising sun shines in my eyes through a north window. That is, if I get up early enough. Sunrise time shifts from 7:43 am at winter solstice to 5:30 in the morning at summer Solstice (it would be 4:30 am if we stuck to standard time). The daily change is gradual but the rate of change is not constant. Sunrise time changes rapidly during the period around each equinox but slows down around the solstices.

The daily change in sunrise approaching spring Equinox is something we feel in our bones. Nature feels it, too, as the romantic activities of breeding birds gets insistent. The quickening of perennial herbs begins in January, with expanding leaves practically jumping out of the ground. Buds are bursting on trees and shrubs while the number of wildflower blooming keeps increasing until the peak in April or May.

David Wagner is a botanist who has worked in Eugene for more than 40 years. He teaches moss classes, leads nature walks and publishes the Oregon Nature Calendar. For information about getting the 2021 Oregon Nature Calendar, contact him directly 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!