Have you ever heard of katabatic winds? Maybe you’ve heard of the geologic term ‘dome’? You could google either of these terms and get a much more succinct answer than the one I’m about to give you. But to start this post off with an immediate geo-ecological digression, I’ve been hung up on what ‘domes’ are here in Alaska. There’s Murphy’s Dome and Ester Dome. It first piqued my interest because it seems to me these domes are the only way to get on top of something (anything?!) here in Fairbanks. But are they glorified hills, big hills, small mountains? Most importantly, can I run up them? Calling them domes simultaneously tickles and confuses me. What specific qualities do these hills hold to make someone call them DoMES? (DOMES, dOMes, domES. “Yeah dude! Gonna get some mad domage today yeeahahahaha!”)

When I asked my advisor, he told me they were hills of loess deposited by winds. Loess is a geologic term for glacial dust or “…fine rock flour…”, German in origin. Glaciers and ice sheets grind up rocks into varying sizes and shapes. When the ice retreats, it leaves behind these rocky sundries- sometimes boulders dubbed ‘erratic’s and sometimes this loess stuff. Anyways, I wasn’t satisfied by Knut’s vague-ish answer. I reiterated my question to Sam and Tako, who are generously housing me in their guest basement at the moment. Sam is a geologist and Tako is a geobotanist. These winds Knut mentioned are none other than katabatic winds. Katabatic winds are the grandfathers of chinooks. Massive amounts of ice cool the air. Cold air sinks because it is dense. This air is extra dense. Ice sheets and glaciers are sloped. Now combine everything and imagine dense cold air moving down sloped land or ice. Et voila! Wind! By the time these winds have reached the newly deglaciated, loess-filled land they are seriously gnarly. Now we have insane ‘rock flour’ dust storms that are depositing sediment across interior AK over hundreds of thousands of years, creating massive loess dunes. This phenomenon still happens today to a much lesser extent. And frankly, I think it’s sick!

“But wait! Emily are you seriously about to say domes ARE NOT ancient loess dunes?”

Yes…sorry! Knut was, ahem, WRONG. These specific domes don’t even fit the geologic definition of dome per se! They’re NOT EVEN REAL DOMES! The “domes” themselves are granitic intrusions that, due to their metamorphic qualities, erode at a much slower rate than everything around them. As the loess blew in on the katabatic winds, it deposited around the “domes”, but not on top of them. When did these intrusions form relative to this ice-sheet business? I don’t know! Again, why don’t I just google this shit? Because it wouldn’t be half as fun as asking three incredibly intelligent, educated locals about the natural history of Alaska. I wouldn’t have been loaned a book called ‘After the Ice: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America’ by E.C Pielou. And I wouldn’t have read about katabatic winds, or the fact that we’re currently in an interglacial period, and a bunch of other wicked facts about ice sheet positive feedback loops etc. etc.

So thanks for your patience. I know you’re probably reading this because you want to know how I’m doing. I’m doing fine! So much has happened since I’ve arrived, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve picked bog blue berries. I met Sarah James, an Neets’aii Gwich’in elder, activist, and environmental leader. (She’s a living legend). I survived orientation and my first week of school. I’ve watched Fairbanks turn from summer to fall and seen hundreds of Sandhill Cranes fly overhead. I’ve ran through bogs (known as wet trails here) and cursed. Anyways, call me if you need to know more. I am lonely and I miss Durango. If you made it this far in my post, thanks for following along!

August has arrived, bringing with it a slight golden tint of autumn to the afternoon light.  And speaking of ‘golden’, this month I want to feature our most prominent and common summertime bird found here at the nursery- the Lesser Goldfinch!.  Although the abundance of these birds may tempt you into disinterest, their sweet teardrop calls and tweety bird spirit should be enough to endear you.  The nursery is a stronghold for these little fellows and we often find their nests in our fruit and conifer trees.  Distinguishable from the classic American Goldfinch by its black back, these birds are the epitome of seed-eaters.  While they are known for eating thistle and sunflower seed –customary fare for bird feeders– there are more than a few perennials and trees you can keep around to encourage disease free, healthy populations of finches in your garden.  Please consider perennials in the Asteraceae family, including the stately Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani), the iconic Alaska Shasta Daisy (Luecanthemum x superbum ‘Alaska’), or any of the four varieties of asters we currently have in stock.  Fortunately, all of these flowers are late summer/early fall bloomers and will make an impactful addition to your autumn garden.  If you are looking to plant a tree, the Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) or Southwestern White Pine (Pinus strobiformis) are widely used landscape conifers that provide shelter and food for these little yellow birds.   

“When that April with his showers sout

The drought of March hath pierced to the root,

And bathed every vein in such licour,

Of which virtue engendered is the flower…”

-Translated by the author from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales 

04/01/2024 - Downy Woodpecker (DOWO)- Or in simpler words, April's showers bring May flowers!  As the buds on your trees grow, you may catch a glance of the Downy Woodpecker.  This furtive little fellow dances from trunk to slender branch in search of insects.  It is a noticeably smaller, diminutive look-alike to the Harry Woodpecker.  Breeding pairs of Downy woodpeckers split up in search of food; females primarily search for food on larger trunks and branches while males focus on the smaller stems of shrubs and weeds.  These little woodpeckers are great to keep around as pest control- they eat bark beetles, tent caterpillars, apple borers, and gall wasps (to name a few!)  This brings us to the important topic of cavity nesting.  Downy Woodpeckers select dead trees or dead parts of live trees for cavities, excavating holes in wood that’s been softened by fungus.  Therefore, it’s important to be mindful when trimming or removing dead wood that doesn't threaten to damage your property (particularly deciduous.)  While many resources expound on suet and bird feeders, Durango Nursery & Supply encourages its patrons to foster gardens that engender beauty and offer respite for everyone, even our feathered friends.  Consider planting varieties of oak trees, Indian rice grass, or any fruit-bearing shrub.  

03/01/2024 - American Robin (AMRO) - March weather has always been a dice roll here in the Southwest.  It could be blizzarding one day and sixty degrees the next.  One thing is for certain though- we are all yearning and looking for signs of spring!  Well, look no further than the birds in your yard.  During this time of season, one can observe gregarious flocks of American Robins flying from tree to tree or scavenging alone on the ground.  Although common and abundant, this species is an impressive generalist and no simpleton.  These birds utilize an innumerous array of vocalizations and behavioral cues to enhance their communication.  Dialects of songs and calls vary in geographic region and each bird develops its own unique song.  They can be found in numerous habitats, including urban residential areas, woodlands, tree line, burn areas, and even tundra!  Their diet consists mainly of worms and other insects during late spring and summer, but rely heavily on fruit in the winter time.  This includes but is not limited to chokecherry, hawthorn, dogwood, sumac fruits, and juniper berries (to list just a few!) 

10/03/2023 - Fall is on everyone’s mind as we enter the month of October.  This includes our winged friends!  Many migrant birds have already left the nursery, including the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds we featured in August.  But one is liable to still hear the husky notes of the Mountain Chickadee or the sweet mnemonic “Chicka-dee-dee-dee!” of the Black-capped Chickadee sounding off in the golden autumn light.  These little birds stay year round and are frequent flyers at bird feeders.  Have you ever noticed how a chickadee will visit a bird feeder, just to take one seed and fly away?  Compared to finches or doves, who gobble on-site, chickadees take these seeds and stash them away in preparation for the cold winter months ahead.  Contrary to the cliche’d term “bird brain”, chickadees are able to remember the locations of hundreds of stashes by “killing” neural pathways in order to make room for more memory.  Fall is also the time of year when our gardens produce large crops of seeds, nuts, and berries essential to these little overwintering birds.  Some (like myself) may find it surprising to learn that only a very small percentage of birds rely on seeds alone to sustain themselves.  Most birds, including chickadees, mainly depend on spiders, caterpillars, moths and other insects for fat and protein.  Since the emergence of some insects correlates with the autumn stages of your plants' phenology, it is important to resist the urge to prematurely prune back the stocks, seedheads, and leaves of your garden plants, as you run the risk of eliminating not one, but two important food sources.  Sadly, in recent years, bird feeders have been a main site for disease transmission, leading to mass die-offs in bird populations.  Thankfully there is a solution!  We have the opportunity to plant native species in our yard and provide a safe source of food for local bird populations.   

Here is a list of plants that provide fantastic fall color while also providing food for our winter darlings: 

• Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) exhibit an array of rusty yellows, oranges, and reds; they are essential habitat for insects; lastly the bark has large crevices, hollows, and cracks that make for great stashing locations.

• The Western Mountain Ash (Sorbus sitchensis) is a beautiful, small deciduous tree that bears bright orange berries in fall. 

• Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) is also a fall stunner, with Dr. Suessian stocks and vibrant, blood-red leaves and berries that persist into winter.  

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08/27/23 - There are half-a-dozen Broad-tailed Hummingbirds buzzing around the nursery this week and we suspect a pair has been nesting in the trumpet vine between the two greenhouses.  It’s reasonable to infer that the parents were highly successful, as there has been a boom in the population recently!  You can see them zooming around, chasing each other, or perched on various trees and structures throughout the nursery.  These small birds can travel up to 30 miles per hour and have a very high metabolism adapted to sustain their tiny heartbeats (1,260 beats/minute) and rapid flight.  Consequently, hummingbirds must sustain themselves by consuming sugar sourced from the nectar of flowers.  To obtain protein, they eat bugs! This allows our little hummers to reserve their fat stores for migrating huge distances in the fall and summer.    

If you want more of these little friends in your garden, here is a list of some great perennial species that you can plant and find at Durango Nursery and Supply…

• Aquilegia canadensis - Red Columbine

• Campsis radicans - Trumpet Vine

• Hosta - assorted var.

• Kniphofia uvaria - Red Hot Poker

• Salvia greggi - assorted var.

• Monarda didyma - Fireball Bee Balm

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