Bud Formation

Mid January.

My alarm goes off at 5:30 and I hit the "snooze" bar once, twice...maybe three times.  My morning walk is going to be cold, and dark.  I go to work in the dark, and I come home in the dark.  These are the mornings I wonder, "Why on earth do I live here?" Do I really need to experience the privations of winter in Minnesota to appreciate beauty, wonder and complexity in life?  Well, yes.

This is my inaugural posting for The Catalyst.  And today's date does not seem incredibly auspicious for launching a new partnership in discovery.  May 1 would seem more hospitable.  But then again, we've had the pleasure of snow and sleet on May Day here in the Frozen North.

A few days ago a colleague commented on the seemingly sudden appearance of buds on a tree here at Dodge.  "Why is it budding in the middle of winter?"  The short answer is:  It's not.  It just looks that way.  The long answer is more interesting, and complicated.  Most buds form in late summer and then they go dormant along with the entire plant.  Somewhere around June 21st, the longest day of the year occurs, and after that day, all the days get shorter as the Earth tilts away from the sun, until about December 21st.  Plants need this period of darkness and rest in order to gear-up for growth and eventual flowering.  After December 21st, our part of earth tips back toward the sun, days start to get longer and plants begin the long process of using sunlight to grow.  Temperature is a factor too, but sunlight is the biggest catalyst for growth.  So darkness and light are essential to growth.  Without this long, inexorable winter would June be so glorious?  I dunno, ask a Floridian.

Well, without sun, we'd have no plants, no air, no food etc.  The sun is our most important catalyst too.  It is interesting to note that a catalyst, by definition, is not changed by what it effects. At Dodge, Nature (with a capital "N") is our catalyst for learning.  We go out into Nature seeking inspiration.  Holes in the ground, ice in a creek, scat on a trail-- all of these things inspire questions, observations, poking and prodding.  Children grow in response to such interactions with the world around them.  But is the world around them affected by this activity?  Yes.  I would have to say, "Absolutely!"  Nature is better off for all their poking and prodding.  Perhaps they pass through the prairie and seeds attach to their clothing, as to fur, and they end up being Nature's messenger.  More often they are learning how to get along with the world around us, how to respect it and care for it.  They are learning that the world has value and this is perhaps the greatest insurance policy we all have for a healthier future.  Nature is a catalyst, but also a partner.

Think Spring!