Sweetscented phacelia (Phacelia suaveolens); Image: Lisette Arellano
By Amina Sharma
This week’s Friday Links is all about the past and the future and the way one informs the other. From a native garden which imagines an apocalyptic future (clearly not a bad thing in this beautiful garden!) to the ancient Indigenous practice of roasting agave to an emerging story for the Central Valley, there’s much to explore in California and beyond.
- Casa Apocalyptica in Los Angeles is home to a wild and wonderful native plant garden that uses materials from the past to imagine the future. (The Los Angeles Times)
- Momentum continues to build for Chuckwalla National Monument! (NBC Palm Springs)
- Agave has long been a staple food for the Indigenous peoples of the Mojave Desert. Learn about how the Morongo Band of Mission Indians continues an ancient practice of roasting and preparing agave. (Atlas Obscura)
- A reflection on the Central Valley—and its emerging story. (Alta)
- It is truly heartwarming to hear that the famous Sycamore Gap tree in England, which was felled by vandals, is putting out new shoots. (The Guardian)
- Gardening in a changing climate requires us to look and listen to what the plants are saying. (The New York Times)
- The progress of the nation’s largest dam removal on the Klamath River is thrilling to see. (The Los Angeles Times)
- The Park Fire is now the fourth biggest fire in California history. How did it get so big, so fast? (The New York Times)
- We’ve always pictured dinosaurs living in rainforests with giant plants. Turns out, that’s not true. (The Smithsonian)
- Funny for the Day: “Actually, George, I am furious that you chopped down our cherry tree.” (McSweeney’s)
