Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - City of Rocks State Park, Faywood NM
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Emory oaks at dawn, Site 12, City of Rocks State Park, Faywood NM, March 14, 2009
Emory oak
Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the Emory oak:
Emory oak (Quercus emoryi) is a species of oak common in Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas (Big Bend National Park), USA, and northern Mexico south to Durango and San Luis PotosÃ. It typically grows in dry hills at moderate altitudes.
It is a live oak in the red oak group, retaining its leaves through the winter until the new leaves are produced in spring, and is a large shrub or small tree from 5-17 m tall. The leaves are 3-6 cm long, entire or wavy-toothed, leathery, dark green above, paler below. The acorns are 1.5-2 cm long, blackish-brown, and mature in 6-8 months from pollination; the kernel is sweet, and is an important food for many mammals and birds.
The tree is named after the United States army surveyor, Lieutenant William Hemsley Emory, who surveyed the area of west Texas where it was discovered in 1846.
Night camp
Site 12 - City of Rocks State Park, Faywood NM
- Verizon cell phone service - fairly good signal - best on west side of the park
- Verizon EVDO service - faster than many places I've camped
- Go to City of Rocks State Park website
- Locate City of Rocks State Park on my Night Camps map
- Check the weather here
We Are Clearly a Species Worth Saving
Our world is entering a time of profound and perhaps catastrophic change. My hope is that by getting people to care about and learn about what is in their backyard, they can be made to realize that while it seems like we are destroying the planet in out greed and excess, what we are really destroying is ourselves. The planet and life in general has dealt with catastrophe many times before. Cataclysm on Earth is a creative time and evolution can handle it. Culture is much more fragile and we as individuals are more fragile still. I think that it is time for people to come to terms with the fact that our own behaviors put humanity at risk. While people have always done atrocious things, I believe that we are a species capable of beautiful, amazing and important things as well and we are clearly a species worth saving.
Jon Piasecki