[Pollinator] Op-ed N.Y. Times

[Peter Bernhardt]

Dear Colleagues:

Dr. Richard Primack (Boston University) published an Op-ed piece in The New
York TImes yesterday entitled, "Early Bloomers" (4/19/12).  It seems his
lab (in association with colleagues at Harvard) has been recording the
flowering periods of herbs and shrubs around H.D. Thoreau's Walden and in
Concord, in general.  As expected, they found that many species were
blooming far earlier than usual, over a period of decades, and some had
become very rare (or locally extinct).  As regards rarity, Prof. Primack
acknowledges human-indcued changes to the landscape but the entire tone of
the article blames declines in wildflower density and diversity on the
effects of global warming.  Primack quotes notes kept by Thoreau but avoids
mentioning a famous essay by E.B. White (written in mid-20th century) about
his visit to Walden and how he found things there less than pristine and
simple.  As you can see, I'm a bit disturbed by the tone of "Early
Bloomers" on educated readers in the total absence of corroborative
evidence.  Primack decries the rarity of swamp orchids but makes no comment
on whether the Concord water table has changed with "development?"  He also
makes claims about the current distribution and flowering behavior of
several species that I find odd.

Sorry I can't provide a link.  We still get the paper edition of TNYT for
my 88-year old Mommy.  I'm a mean botanist but a relatively good son.

Peter Bernhardt
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