2023 Miscellany #10

linden tree, past peak, seen through a window

This series of three were taken after 8p.m. on June 25th.

Dark clouds quickly moved in looking ominous.

eventually, after sunset, some 18 drops

I-90 June 28th

smogula on Scranton Road, Cleveland Flats

There are some 490 forest fires in Canada, and a heat inversion in the industrial middle west. At one point Wednesday evening, Canton Ohio's Air Quality Index was 329. That was the highest in the US that day. 300 is supposed to be hazardous, but each country can gauge their own indexes any way they wish, Some censor readings are averaged, and what are the measurements? There was a damp bonfire smell to-day, and some people had irritated mucus membranes.

new mural by Isaiah Williams (StarBeing) celebrating Cleveland Metroparks

Giraffes are neat, the favorite zoo animal by many.

New mural being painted on East 30th, near Payne in Cleveland.  Suphitsara Buttra Coleman.

small sidewalk art in University Circle Cleveland

Where Main Avenue intersects with West 9th there are three painted words, "River, City, Lake".

June perfume

Slovenija almost put a linden leaf on their flag. When the linden is in bloom the green leafs are joined by yellowish white blossoms (and emit a gentle sweet perfume); this green and yellow combination was seen as the colors of their national soccer [football] team, who were called the green dragons. These blossoms also make a tea, the French call 'thé au tilleul'. Some people say it smells like grass clippings, and they are not cheap at health food stores. One tree has enough blossoms for thousands of cups of tea. Linden trees can live a thousand years. The wood has been used for sculptures. Many religious statues were carved of linden wood in central Europe.

galls and bracts

Eriophyes tiliae tiliae is a mite that sucks on the undersides of the lower leaves of the linden tree. The mites release chemicals that form narrow, conical, spires on the top side of the leaves. These structures are called 'galls', the name of these particular ones are 'lime (linden) nail galls'. The galls are the spring, and summer homes of the mites. In late summer they retreat to the bark, and buds, and wait for the next year. Here is an English paper on Czech eriophyes tiliae.

The bract is a specialised leaf, usually at the base of a flower. Supra, the bracts are the narrow, lighter colored leaves. Now, in the linden, they are metatopic (not in the the usual place). In the linden they are also recaulescent (attached to the stem holding the flower). When the linden flowers, the flowers form in clusters; this is inflorescence.

Now, the linden is one plant. The linden is diverse in structure, and is an organism of beauty, and wonder in nature.

linden at dusk

Linden and Robin

25 April 2012

Linden B. To-day

Same tree, 20 April 2012. Note leaf formation/development to last year's.

Little Leaf Linden 2011

Tilia cordata is a wonderful tree. Tilia is a genus of several related varieties, species, and they hybridize easily. In English, several names are applied: lime (British usage), basswood (American usage), teil, and linden. All the slavonic nations call the tree, lipa. The traditional name for the month of June is Lipanj in Croat, in Polish July is Lipiec. Leipzig is a germanification of the Sorb/Wendish term. At the time of recent independence for Slovenija, debate was made to put the leaf on the flag, or to name the currency after it.

It is a fragrant flower, that attracts bees for nectar. An herbal team of several medicinal usages is brewed from the flowers. The wood was frequently used for sculpture. Many church statues, altars were carved from it. Many icons were painted on it.

I took a series of photos of a particular tree, last year. The street, a few years back, had several such trees on the tree lawns/devil strip. This one comes to flower days after its sisters. Now, the city has come, year after year and shredded the trees and ground the stumps, one by one. The trees seemed healthy enough. Some people complain they are messy. They always shed something: leaves, flowers, twigs, branches, sap. They push up sidewalks. The root structure is intensive, and the front lawns, sometimes have difficulty in competition for sun, water, and minerals. I like to think, as Robert Frost might, that one should prefer to have such trees survive. In Europe some of their kind have stood a thousand years.

I noticed to-day, it was three weeks ahead in leaf production, as compared to last year. In Ohio, last year was ridiculously wet. Cincinnati had 73.28'' rain and other melted precipitation, Cleveland had 65.32". The previous records were in 1990 at 57.58'', and 53.83". Average for Cleveland was 39.14''. This March 19-23, each day set a record of 80+°F.

9 may

11 may

14 may

25 may

6 june

24 june

19 sept

8 oct

30 oct

31 dec

Green Dragons of the World Cup

The World Cup championship for football (soccer) is a world fair of sport. States across the globe are represented. There are the large states with the small. The traditional football powers and the rare qualifiers.

This year the games are for the first time being played in Africa. The novelty that everyone has remarked on is the elongated, plastic cornet — the vuvuzela. The high decibel droning of thousands of ill played B-flats is constant. Vuvuzela is now a new word in the international lexicon. The spelling may become negotiable. I heard 'booboozayla'.

Now, many teams are represented by their traditional colors. Argentina is always in light blue and white vertical stripes. Holland is in that wretched orange. Many teams wear their flag colors, but not all. The germans like white. The italians in the blue of the past monarchy.

Slovenija is the smallest state in this year's tournament. They have green with light green. Their flag's tri-colors are white, blue, and red. Why green? As the tournament starts, a national tree and symbol was in bloom — lipa, the linden. The leaves are green and the flowers are light green. The lipa, the linden, leaf almost made the new flag. It has been on stamps and used as logos on many government and non-governmental items.

The dragon is the heraldic symbol of the capital city Ljubljana. There is a dragon's bridge in the city. The dragon is always green. The city's football team Olimpija, is nicknamed, the dragons. The world cup team is also, unofficially the green dragons.

Group play
13 June Slovenija 1 Algeria 0
18 June Slovenija 2 USA 2
23 June Slovenija 0 England 1