Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)

The heat wave continues in Caddo parish. Daily high temperatures are over 100℉ (reaching above 110 with the head index) and with no rain. Luckily, the arboretum's irrigation system has seen improvements over the past week, so the plants in the arboretum have had some relief. Unfortunately for some plants, the hot, dry weather has resulted in significant damage. The spice bush (Lindera benzoin) is one species of plant that has suffered a great deal under the current local weather conditions.

 

There are two mature spice bushes in the arboretum collection. A few greenish leaves remain on one of the bushes, while the other bush only retains its brown, crinkled remnants of leaves.

 

The spice bush is pictured center. It doesn't have any green foliage; it isn't photogenic, to say the least. In recent history, it was a large, healthy shrub, actively growing in the shade of a white oak (Quercus alba), standing on the edge of the arboretum's western flood plain.

 

There is a brick border that encircles the once vibrant shrub, which has been growing in this location since 1996. It was collected from a roadside in Webster Parish. Since this was a mature, established shrub, it is disheartening that it could not endure our current heat wave. Perhaps the white oak simply out-competed it for water? A famous film quote about "drinking someone's milkshake" comes to mind.

 

From another angle, we can appreciate the numerous bare branches.

 

Shriveled, crinkly leaves hold fast to some twigs. Manipulating the tips of the branches results in snapping.

 

The twigs on this spice bush lack all greenness and flexibility, suggesting that most, if not all, of the shrub is dead.

 

By comparison, the other mature spice bush shows some signs of life. In this photo, we see glimpses of green leaves, one green fruit, and green buds. The twigs on this shrub are springy. So, even though this spice bush doesn't look good this week, it shows signs of being well enough to leaf out next spring. Let's keep it watered and hope for the best.

 

 

Drought Update Sept. 2022 (Drought's Cancelled!)

After a very rainy August, the drought is finished in our neck of the woods. In fact, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the entire state of Louisiana is free from drought. Looking at the map pictured below, we see that all of the parishes are white, signifying that drought conditions are absent. Typically, here in northwest Louisiana we think of August as a hot, dry month, with very little rain. This year was different.

Regionally, there are still drought areas to the West. In the map below, we see that the whole state of Oklahoma and a large portion of Texas are very much in need of rain. The pine curtain is a protective shield.

The Centenary College campus is green, green, green. Looking out into the arboretum from the top floor of Rotary, we see a uniformly green lawn and varying shades of green tree leaves. Although much of the campus is irrigated, the sprinklers alone cannot maintain such a luxuriant sea of green. When northwest Louisiana experiences drought conditions during late summer, we expect to see patches of dry, burnt grass.

 

Drought Status Update

At the beginning of July, the weather patterns suggested that the arboretum would experience a drought this summer and fall. On June 30, the U.S. Drought Monitor identified a 'Moderate Drought' for the area of northwest Louisiana where the Centenary College campus is located. This was of special interest for Acorn Watch 2022, as we were curious if the immature acorns would be dropped from our oak trees given drought conditions. 

On the last day of July, the drought situation has changed. Interestingly, the U.S. Drought Monitor map for Louisiana shows that Caddo Parish is currently experiencing four different levels of drought intensity: we see red, orange, beige and yellow areas in the northwestern most parish. Luckily for the arboretum, the Centenary College campus is no longer experiencing 'Moderate Drought' conditions; the city of Shreveport is in the yellow area, which signifies 'Abnormally Dry' conditions.

This drought map shows that the phrase "we're in a drought" can mean something very different to people just fifty miles away. In North Caddo, such as Rodessa or Vivian, Caddo's citizens are living in "Extreme drought." In southeastern Caddo parish, it is merely dry. Caddo is currently the only parish to have four of the five levels of drought. Thankfully the ultimate level is still off the table.

When taking the bigger picture into account, Louisiana isn't doing bad at all.