Prometheus

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The Tragedy of (the other) Prometheus

In August of 1964, a graduate student hiked off the trails on Wheeler Peak in eastern Nevada to conduct research and killed one of the old organisms ever discovered.

Let’s back up.

Donald Currey was a graduate student of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,studying the climatology of the Little Ice Age. He wanted to study rings of very old trees using dendrochronology. Dendrochronology can help scientists determine the calendar year a tree formed, determine important information about the ecologies it’s lived through, and most importantly to Currey, the climates.

Around this time, the leading minds of Forestry were excitedly dating very old trees in the United States, spurred on by the discovery of bristlecone pines in the White Mountains in California that were over 4000 years old. Currey had heard that there were bristlecones in White Pine county and on Wheeler Peak specifically and wanted to see if he could further his research by taking some samples.

He hiked out to the grove, and found a large specimen to take sample of. Currey attempted several samples with his long borer tool. After a few attempts, his tool broke leaving him without a means to achieve his intended sample. Here is where the details start to get blurry. Some accounts say that Currey was working with some Forest Service personnel and some say he was working alone. In any case, the decision was made to simply cut down the tree to get a full cross-section of the tree. The tree, which Currey had identified as WPN-114, was later dated at over 4800 years old. That makes WPN-114 the oldest living organism ever discovered — that is, until Donald Currey found it. The dead tree was nicknamed Prometheus and the  incident ruined his career as a Geomorphologist.

However, let’s not jump to villainize Currey. Imagine being a young graduate student, your advisor is telling you to get a sample and sends you off with little guidance. You find a tree that looks like all the other trees in a grove and fail to get the sample you’ve been tasked to collect. The Forest Service guy you’re working with suggests that you just cut it down — after all, there are lots of similar trees in the same grove. The next thing you know, you’ve destroyed a global wonder. You’re demonized by the community you are trying to be a part of and your reputation is destroyed.

Currey changed academic fields and ended up a successful Geographer, earning Professor Emeritus status at the University of Utah. He passed away in 2004.

In 2012, researchers identified a tree in California aged over 5000 years. So let’s give Don a break.

Gardening in May

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What to plant in May?

Oh no! May Day has come and gone and you haven’t gotten any seeds in the ground! All your friends have been tending their plots since late March, but you’ve been too busy on Netflix to even notice. Well, have no fear! There is still plenty of time to have a bountiful, productive, and rewarding vegetable garden. But you should get started now.

So what can we plant in May? There are plenty of vegetables that will benefit from the warmer soil temperatures. Warmer ground temperatures allow for a fast germination, so the stables of summertime kitchens are great choices. Plant some melons, cucumbers, and squash.

In May there is basically no worry about frosts, so you can plant the more delicate herbs that love the heat. Great ones to start with are sage, basil, oregano and dill. Obviously you can always transplant herbs you’ve purchased, but in May, these are still great to start from seed.

Another excellent type of plant to start in May are beans. Beans come to fruit rather quickly, so with some strategic sowing, you can have fresh beans all summer. Get a few different varieties and sow them continually for 7 to 10 days. This will ensure a regular flow of bean crops, rather than one huge harvest. Having all your plants, especially if it’s one type, come to harvest at the same time is a great way to waste a lot of produce.

And of course, it is never too late for tomatoes. Tomatoes are probably the most popular garden plant for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, they are delicious! The warmer weather will help your tomatoes grow nice and plump, so think about starting with transplants.

And even beyond May, there are lots of plants that do well getting started later in the summer. For instance, you can plant carrots in June or even mid-July for a wonderful fall harvest. Broccoli planted midsummer can yield all the way into November! Spinach, radishes, peas — all of these can begin in the summer.

So cut yourself some slack. Maybe you were a bit lazy in the early spring, but there are still plenty of ways to ensure a kitchen full of homegrown goodness.