Author: tmichaelwilliams

Redwhisker clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra), at Garden Wash.

This is my current nominee for plant-with-the-best-common-name. It is a cleome, with sticky-fuzzy hairs on stems and leaves that leave a gummy, foul-smelling sap on your hands when handled. The scientific name is useful and descriptive. The genus name

Polanisia

refers to the unequal lengths of the flowers’ stamens, while dodecandra indicates that each floret has twelve stamens. 

Explicit racism in law enforcement takes many forms, from membership or affiliation with violent white supremacist or far-right militant groups, to engaging in racially discriminatory behavior toward the public or law enforcement colleagues, to making racist remarks and sharing them on social media. While it is widely acknowledged that racist officers subsist within police departments around the country, federal, state, and local governments are doing far too little to proactively identify them, report their behavior to prosecutors who might unwittingly rely on their testimony in criminal cases, or protect the diverse communities they are sworn to serve.

Excerpt from Michael German’s report for the Brennan Center for Justice, 

Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement. 

It is today’s necessary reading. 

Flaxflowered ipomopsis (Ipomopsis longiflora) in Garden Wash at San Pedro House. 

This plant has reduced its foliage to adapt to xeric conditions. It is so delicate and wispy it’s almost invisible in the landscape, except when it flowers after rain. 

The flowers are characteristic of plants pollinated by moths: a long salverform profile, with a whorl of petals for a landing platform, and a long, tubular perianth. Only a moth with an exceptionally long proboscis could reach the flower’s hidden nectar. Moth-pollinated flowers are also often pale-colored or white, and open at night when moths are active.