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Rejoicing in an Orwellian Spring · Street Smart Naturalist

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Greetings.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is David B.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Williams and the podcast of my newsletter,
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: The Street Smart Naturalist,
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  SPEAKER_00: Explorations of the Urban Kind.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Every week,
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  I share my observations and adventures with the human and
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  natural world around Seattle,
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  SPEAKER_00: Puget Sound,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the Pacific Northwest.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode celebrates spring.
• 0:21
  I'd like to thank all who responded to Marjorie and her wise
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  and wonderful words last week.
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  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, she'll return again.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more about my work, please go to my website, geologywriter.com.
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  You'll also find a link to my Substack newsletter and my
• 0:35
  previous four years of newsletters,
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  SPEAKER_00: as well as images tied to this week's episode.
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  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for joining me on this adventure,
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: and welcome to Podcast 20 of the Street Smart Naturalist,
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  SPEAKER_00: Rejoicing in an Orwellian Spring,
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  SPEAKER_00: April 17,
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  SPEAKER_00: 2025.
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  SPEAKER_00: In an April 1946 essay titled,
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  SPEAKER_00: Some Thoughts on the Common Toad,
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  SPEAKER_00: George Orwell wrote,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote,
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  the point is that the pleasure of spring are available to
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  everybody and cost nothing.
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  Even in the most sordid street,
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  the coming of spring will register itself by some sign or other.
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  SPEAKER_00: If it is only a brighter blue between the chimney pots or
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  SPEAKER_00: or the vivid green of an elder sprouting on a blitz site.
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  SPEAKER_00: Indeed,
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  SPEAKER_00: it is remarkable how nature goes on existing unofficially,
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  SPEAKER_00: as it were,
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  SPEAKER_00: in the very heart of London."
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  SPEAKER_00: For the past several months,
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  many people have been using the term Orwellian to describe the
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  dangerous abuse of
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  SPEAKER_00: language coming out of Washington,
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  SPEAKER_00: D.C.
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  SPEAKER_00: With spring in the air, literally,
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  SPEAKER_00: I'd like to focus on another aspect of the Orwellian world,
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  his attention to the beauties and wonder of life emerging all
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  around us every day.
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  SPEAKER_00: Like George,
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  SPEAKER_00: I revel in the many pleasures of vernal renewal,
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  though I like to think that I have not been visiting the most
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  sordid of streets.
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  Spring has erupted promiscuously in our yard in shades of pink
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  and purple.
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  SPEAKER_00: One comes from the non-native, non-planted violets.
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  I believe they have been designated as Viola raviniana,
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  with common names of dog or wood violet.
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  SPEAKER_00: I cannot remember when this small plant first appeared in our yard.
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  SPEAKER_00: I do know that for many years I pulled them up.
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  SPEAKER_00: Finally,
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  SPEAKER_00: I decided to give in to my betters,
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  realizing that this lovely bit of greenery was far better at
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  spreading than I was
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  SPEAKER_00: at pulling them up.
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  They are now widespread in our front yard,
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  gracing the ground with their purple blooms.
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  SPEAKER_00: When I eventually took the time to look at the flower,
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  I saw the classic guidelines of color which help pollinators to
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  their sugary reward,
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  SPEAKER_00: yet more evidence of the majesties of evolution.
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  Also bestowing lovely spring color in our yard are the bleeding hearts,
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  Dicentra formosa.
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  Native to our neck of the world,
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  they have lacy leaves and purse-shaped flowers
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  SPEAKER_00: the envy of any Prada handbag clutching fashionista.
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  SPEAKER_00: I planted one or two plants about a decade ago,
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  SPEAKER_00: and they have now spread wildly,
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  SPEAKER_00: providing a Pismarian pleasure.
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  SPEAKER_00: That pleasure will be in the Eliasome,
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  SPEAKER_00: or package of fat attached to the bleeding heart's little black seeds.
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  SPEAKER_00: Soon,
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  SPEAKER_00: ants will harvest the seed and fat,
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  SPEAKER_00: a process known as myrmocockery,
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  SPEAKER_00: and continue spreading the plants around our yard.
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  SPEAKER_00: Dang, two outstanding words, one outstanding plan.
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  I've been witnessing another explosion of life on the lawn of
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  the North Seattle campus,
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  SPEAKER_00: a few blocks from our house.
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  SPEAKER_00: Covering the ground are thousands of finger-sized seedlings,
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  SPEAKER_00: each with a pair of orangish-red,
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  SPEAKER_00: triangular,
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  SPEAKER_00: serrate-edged leaves.
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  They are the progeny of a massive big-leaf maple,
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  now pregnant with flowers.
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  SPEAKER_00: As often happens, none of the little shoots will survive long.
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  Hope springs eternal for the maple,
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  but crashes with the reality of herbivores and lawnmowers.
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  SPEAKER_00: Knowing of their fate, I am reminded to rejoice at life seeking life.
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  Another vernal activity that has pleased me has been a cliche
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  personifying beaver,
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  SPEAKER_00: busying away along the centennial trail.
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  SPEAKER_00: For the past several weeks of my ride with Scott,
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  we have watched as a beaver or beavers cut down two alders and
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  started work on a third.
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  SPEAKER_00: Both of us have been wondering what was up.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yes,
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  SPEAKER_00: spring is a time of year for beavers to get their house in order,
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  SPEAKER_00: but the trees were never going to end up in a lodge.
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  SPEAKER_00: The creek next to the trees was about as wide as the trees,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the nearest lodge was one half mile distance.
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  Turns out that beavers are rather partial to the bark and
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  cambion of tree branches,
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  and it's a heck of a lot easier to eat branches off the ground
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  than having to climb
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  SPEAKER_00: the tree every time you want a meal.
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  SPEAKER_00: My spring highlight, though, occurred two weeks ago.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'd just ended a walk exploring the historic shoreline of Seattle.
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  I was standing with my pal Tony and a friend of his next to an
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  ivy-covered concrete
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  wall sandwiched between two five-story buildings when we saw a hummingbird.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's a female.
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  SPEAKER_00: This time of year you can follow her to find her nest, said Tony.
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  SPEAKER_00: We did, and we did, locating the nest amid the ivy.
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  Not wanting to disturb the two youngsters who were barely
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  contained within the cup
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  SPEAKER_00: of lichen moss and spiderweb,
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  SPEAKER_00: I took one photo and backed away.
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  Tony later explained that several features indicated that the
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  adult was a female.
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  SPEAKER_00: She was probing and gathering and not gorging and guarding.
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  The males have no involvement in the nest and its occupants and
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  generally are
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  SPEAKER_00: noticed only during their courtship display,
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  SPEAKER_00: whereas she needs to feed the kids every few minutes.
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  SPEAKER_00: Tony also noted the white-tipped tail and lack of iridescent gorget,
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  SPEAKER_00: further confirming she was a female.
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  I'll add that Tony observed these details in about a
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  gazillionth of a second,
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  SPEAKER_00: followed immediately by a statement about the female and her actions.
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  SPEAKER_00: I felt like I was with a magician.
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  SPEAKER_00: Presto, Magico, here's a hummingbird's nest.
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  SPEAKER_00: Even more amazing for its location in downtown Seattle.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Orwell's essay,
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  SPEAKER_00: he asked if it's,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: wicked to take pleasure in spring,
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  SPEAKER_00: unquote,
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  SPEAKER_00: considering the challenges of the world,
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  which were certainly epic and severe in post-World War II
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  London and sadly still
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  SPEAKER_00: are now.
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  He categorically rejects those who hold such a view and offers
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  a wonderful sentiment.
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  SPEAKER_00: I think that by retaining one's childhood love of such things as trees,
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  SPEAKER_00: fishes,
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  SPEAKER_00: butterflies,
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  SPEAKER_00: and,
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  SPEAKER_00: to return to my first instance,
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  SPEAKER_00: toads,
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  SPEAKER_00: one makes a peaceful and decent future a little more probable.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not surprisingly, I agree without qualification.
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  SPEAKER_00: Here's the retaining,
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  SPEAKER_00: maintaining,
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  and growing one's childhood love of the natural world and the
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  joys and peace it sustains,
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  SPEAKER_00: no matter where one lives or the time of year.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Happy spring to all.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Once again,
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: this is David B.
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  SPEAKER_00: Williams,
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  SPEAKER_00: author and voice of The Street Smart Naturalist,
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Explorations of the Urban Kind,
• 7:13
  a weekly newsletter and podcast focusing on the human and
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  natural world around Seattle,
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Puget Sound,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the Pacific Northwest.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like more details about my books,
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: walks,
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: and talks and a link to sign up for my newsletter and podcast,
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: check out my website,
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: geologywriter.com.
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  And don't forget to slow down,
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  pay attention,
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  and enjoy the world around you.