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Turbinicarpus schmiedickianus 1/10/22
This is a neat example of my plants messing with my head. I've had these little guys for more than ten years. They are the only survivors of a sowing back then. They've bloomed for me for years, but almost always, they never both had a flower at the same time, even though their flowers last almost a week. This winter, they're flowering together. I excitedly (nothing else meant) pollinated with a paintbrush, my best ultra-soft animal fur paintbrush. Again, no fruit. More grist for the mill of my beliefs. A reproducing population (= species, by my understanding) probably needs at least five members. I am of course ignoring lots of studies and other observations that a true self sustaining population of higher organisms (us, trees, fish, cacti, kangaroos, Easter Islanders, beans, etc.) needs at least 5000 individuals to form a self-sustaining population. My theory of five is only for a momentary metastable and artificial population under my control. And I, their god, feed them and keep them safe. No nature red of claw, etc. is part of their stressors. I may never have a true self-sustaining population of anything at 79 Mesa Verde St, Los Alamos NM 87547. If the world were to be melted by H-bombs (might happen soon by way of Ukraine; who knows?), and if somehow my little island were to be spared (99.999999% unlikely), I doubt if I have enough genetic diversity among my cacti to eventually re-colonize the new habitats. Of course, like a good Darwinian, I believe that my Noah's Ark of plants would be the germ plasm for the evolution of replacement life in the new world. No idea where that might go.
(28/32)