Today I learned that the tree whose bark sheds into red paper ribbons is called Manzanitas (Spanish for tiny apple). Species of Manzanita belongs to the genus Arctostaphylos (Greek for bear grape), alongside three species of Bearberries. Manzanita grow in the chaparral; Bearberries are adapted to arctic and subarctic climates. I wonder when in time the two groups diverged–their respective climates are so different. Living in California, I’ve seen Manzanita my entire life but never knew what they were called. The hills behind Orinda are covered in a handful of species, both tree-sized and in low shrubs.
I also learned that there are only eight species of bear, and six of them are endangered. For some reason both parts of that statement shocked me, though it makes sense for there to be so few species and individual bears–it seems to be the fate of most large mammals in the modern world.
Brown, Black, Asiatic Black, Andean, Panda, Sloth, Sun, Polar.
250 Million farmers and laborers protested against new anti-worker laws in India on the 26th. I’d venture to guess this is the biggest protest in history.
Kat White 