cowpeas + rhizobia = nitrogen

went to campus to do some fall planting this morning and i had to uproot the cowpeas ( which i had planned to do ) in order to othe new arrivals...i wanted to check the roots for nodes that would indicate the plant had indeed been producing sugars to feed the rhibozia bacteria that produced nitrogen to close the loop of plant/bacteria symbiosis...sure enough the nodes were on the roots so the wheat grass hybrids i planted in that row should have a good supply for a while...more human use of natural mechanisms...the story of our relationships with plants.

holiday photo extravaganza

the improbable, totemic zea diploperennis on campus is thriving in the heat ( as long as i give it plentiful water ) and while i am not sure of its long-term chances in northwest indiana i will be mulching it again in the fall in fervent hopes of a third season...the northern tepehuan teosinte is doing fine as well...the third photo is of the branching that it is begining which is exactly what i hope the hopi blue maize in the fourth photo is doing...a morphological treat if it is...the bottom photo is one of the five cowpea plants up and running...hopefully already beginning its symbiosis with the rhizobia