Americanized Yellow Flag Gardens in Containers, Courtyards, Wastelands

Summary: Americanized yellow flag gardens in containers, courtyards and wastelands impose minimum survival requirements on Rocky Mountain iris and yellow flag.

yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) in garden; Monday, May 2, 2011, 14:41:15: Lyndon_Gardening, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Americanized yellow flag gardens, where they are legal, act out aggressive life cycles least intrusively in courtyard and indoor containerized arrangements and on eroded outdoor patches with related, weedy Rocky Mountain iris.

The perennial native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia brings on poison-induced abdominal pains, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, nausea, paralysis, spasms, staggering and vomiting in grazing livestock. Yellow flag, nicknamed pale yellow flag, water flag and yellow iris, constructs impenetrable stands on barren, compacted, disturbed, polluted, unbalanced soils and on fertile, moist ground. Reproducing by multiple modes and threatening crop diversity, ecosystem well-being, human health and species diversity generally drive native and non-native vegetation into North America's weed pull-piles.

Yellow flag endures weed sanctions in Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, and in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon and Washington in the United States.

Seedlings flounder during the first two months in drought and temperatures below 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) and flourish grass-like embyonic leaves called cotyledons.

Subsequent leaves grow edgewise into green, solid stems with "fibrous remains of old leaves" at their bases and 15.75- to 59.06-inch (40- to 150-centimeter) mature heights. Yellow flag generally has 10 primarily basal, green, 15.75- to 39.37-inch- (40- to 100-centimeter-) long, 0.39- to 1.18-inch- (1- to 3-centimeter-) wide leaves with raised midribs. Its moisture-loving foliage inclines toward clumped, fast, strong growth habits because of dissolved nutrient deliveries from fleshy, 11.81-inch- (30-centimeter-) long roots and from pooled photosynthetic products.

Branched, drought-tolerant, elongated, pink, submersion-tolerant underwater stems, called rhizomes, jostle buoyant seeds and fragmented shoots as the three main reproductive modes in Americanized yellow flag gardens.

Yellow flag, scientifically named Iris pseudacorus (rainbow, false sweet sedge), keeps rhizomes growing 0.39 to 1.58 inches (1 to 4 centimeters) across during eight-week stretches underwater.

The weedy ornamental in the Iridaceae family of herbaceous irises lavishes above-ground shoots with four- to 12-flowered inflorescences called cymes whose oldest flowers load the tips. Inner, 2.36- to 3.54- (6- to 9-centimeter-) long and outer, 1.93- to 2.01-inch- (4.9- to 5.1-centimeter-) long, 0.28- to 0.39- (7- to 10-millimeter-) wide bracts meet. One pistil with three yellow-branched styles, three petals, three sepals and three stamens nestle into perfect flowers 3.15 to 3.94 inches (8 to 10 centimeters) across.

Americanized yellow flag gardens offer brown- or purple-streaked, cream-white or yellow, 1.97- to 2.95-inch- (5- to 7.5-centimeter-) long, 1.18- to 1.58-inch- (3- to 4-centimeter-) wide sepals.

The 0.79- to 1.18-inch- (2- to 3-centimeter-) long petals pick out yellow in 1.18- to 1.58- (3- to 4-centimeter-) long styles during April to May blooms.

Yellow flag quits flowering stages for fruiting stages of dry, explosive, 32- to 47-seeded, three-angled, three-chambered, 1.38- to 3.15-inch- (3.5- to 8-centimeter-) long fruits called capsules. Yellow flag, described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (May 23, 1707-Jan. 10, 1778), yearly releases about 300 cork-like, D-shaped, flat seeds from five to six capsules. Non-submerged, pale to dark brown seeds 0.24 to 0.28 (6 to 7 millimeters) across sprout at 59 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 30 degrees Celsius).

Minimum survival requirements in Americanized yellow flag gardens thwart aggression in Rocky Mountain iris and yellow flag, rambunctious relatives of beloved crocus, freesia, gladiolus and iris.

yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) along the trail, Estany del Cortalet, Parc Naturel dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Castelló d'Empúries, Catalunya; Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 16:40:43: Bernard DuPont (berniedup), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) in garden; Monday, May 2, 2011, 14:41:15: Lyndon_Gardening, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/84128524@N05/8561900489/

yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) along the trail, Estany del Cortalet, Parc Naturel dels Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Castelló d'Empúries, Catalunya; Tuesday, April 12, 2016, 16:40:43: Bernard DuPont (berniedup), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/26226878160/

For further information:

Dickinson, Richard; and Royer, France. 2014. Weeds of North America. Chicago IL; London, England: The University of Chicago Press.

"Iris pseudacorus L." Tropicos® > Name Search.
Available @ http://www.tropicos.org/Name/16600257

Linnaeus, Carl. 1753. "7. Iris Pseudacorus." Species Plantarum, vol. I: 38-39. Holmiae [Stockholm, Sweden]: Laurentii Salvii [Laurentius Salvius].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358059

Modzelevich, Martha. "Iris pseudacorus, Yellow Iris, Yellow Waterflag, Jacob's Sword, Hebrew: אירוס ענף; Arabic: السوسن الشمالي الكاذب." Flowers in Israel.
Available @ http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Irispseudacorus_page.htm

Weakley, Alan S.; Ludwig, J. Christopher; and Townsend, John F. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Edited by Bland Crowder. Fort Worth TX: BRIT Press, Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

Americanized Curly Pondweed Gardens for Aquatic Plant Research

Summary: Americanized curly pondweed gardens in aquaria, confined ponds and contained pools provide research settings for native and non-native aquatic plants.

curly pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), also known as curly-leaved pondweed; Alter Botanischer Garten Göttingen (Old Botanical Garden of Göttingen University), Lower Saxony, central Germany; September 1999: Christian Fischer, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Americanized curly pondweed gardens advance aquatic research and avoid water takeovers by assigning Eurasian curly pondweed and Richardson's, sago and small pondweeds of North America to aquaria, confined ponds and contained pools.

Native Richardson's, sago and small pondweed members in the Potamogetonaceae family of aquatic herbs bear no weed designations yet in Canada, Mexico or the United States. They count among the 100 species in the Potamogeton and Stuckenia pondweed genera that combine to cover the globe but concentrate most populations in North America. Richard Dickinson, in Weeds of North America, University of Chicago Press publication in 2014, describes pondweeds as minimal in economic importance since its presence demands controls.

Dense strands that clog waterways earn curly pondweed weed designations in Alabama, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Washington in the United States and in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Anecdotes and research furnish no information on seedling stages in the life cycles of curly pondweed, called curly-leaf pondweed commonly and Potamogeton crispus (curly river-neighbor) scientifically.

Curly pondweed, described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (May 23, 1707-Jan. 10, 1778), goes dormant in summer and grows flowers, foliage and fruits in early spring. The submerged aquatic has flattened, 7.87- to 39.37-inch- (20- to 100-centimeter-) long, 0.04- to 0.08-inch- (1- to 2-millimeter-) thick stems whose axil unions hold vernal turions. The burlike, spindle-shaped, 0.59- to 1.18-inch- (1.5- to 3-centimeter-) long shoots, called turions, in the axil unions of leaves and stems include three to seven leaves.

The small, thickened turion leaves, germinating in fall and overwintering as small plants, join seeds and stem fragments as reproduction modes in Americanized curly pondweed gardens.

The aquatic perennial keeps out of the way of native North American species by knowing early spring growth and summer dormancies in Americanized curly pondweed gardens.

The submerged, two-ranked foliage lines one- to four-leaf sets into alternate, stalkless arrangements alongside the stem and, at foliar bases, brown, non-fibrous, non-shreddable membranes called stipules. The leaves and the stipules respectively measure 0.47 to 3.54 inches (1.2 to 9 centimeters) long and 0.16 to 0.39 inches (4 to 10 millimeters) wide. The 0.16- to 0.39-inch- (4- to 10-millimeter-) wide leaves, with fine-toothed, wavy margins and red midveins, nestle into the stems that nurture cylindrical inflorescences called spikes.

The 0.09- to 0.16-inch- (2.5- to 4-millimeter-) long spikes occupy curved, 0.79- to 3.94-inch- (2- to 10-centimeter-) long stalks and offer clustered green, perfect, regular flowers.

Biology provides April to May blooms for curly pondweed flowers with four pistils, four same-colored, same-looking, same-sized peals and sepals, collectively called tepals, and four stamens.

Flattened, oval, pitted, 0.12- to 0.19-inch- (3- to 5-millimeter-) long seeds with 0.08- to 0.09-inch- (2- to 2.5-millimeter-) long beaks non-explosively quit dry, one-seeded, spring-fruiting achenes. The germination and the viability of curly pondweed seeds remain anecdotal and scientific unknowns even though introductions into North America reveal dates as early as 1840. Similar unfamiliarities scorn lance-shaped to oval, three- to 35-veined, 0.63- to 5.12-inch- (1.6- to 13-centimeter-) long, 0.19- to 1.10-inch- (5- to 28-millimeter-) wide Richardson's pondweed leaves.

Aquaria, confined ponds and contained pools in Americanized curly pondweed gardens tap scientific facts from curly, Richardson's sago and small pondweeds by teasing weeds from waterways.

Curly pondweed's inflorescence comprises floral spikes that emerge above the watery surface for wind-dispersed pollination; "Curled pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) in the act of pollination" in Anton Kerner von Marilaun, The Natural History of Plants: Their Forms, Growth, Reproduction, and Distribution, vol. II The History of Plants (1895), figure 236, page 148: Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

curly pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), also known as curly-leaved pondweed; Alter Botanischer Garten Göttingen (Old Botanical Garden of Göttingen University), Lower Saxony, central Germany; September 1999: Christian Fischer, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PotamogetonCrispus.jpg

Curly pondweed's inflorescence comprises floral spikes that emerge above the watery surface for wind-dispersed pollination; "Curled pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) in the act of pollination" in Anton Kerner von Marilaun, The Natural History of Plants: Their Forms, Growth, Reproduction, and Distribution, vol. II The History of Plants (1895), figure 236, page 148: Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13623617

For further information:

Dickinson, Richard; and Royer, France. 2014. Weeds of North America. Chicago IL; London, England: The University of Chicago Press.

Kerner von Marilaun, Anton. 1895. The Natural History of Plants: Their Forms, Growth, Reproduction and Distribution. Translated and edited by F.W. Oliver; with the assistance of Marian Rusk, BSc. and Mary F. Ewart, BSc. Vol. II: The History of Plants. London, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland: Blackie and Son.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/48478

Linnaeus, Carl. 1753. "5. Potamogeton crispum." Species Plantarum, vol. I: 126. Holmiae [Stockholm, Sweden]: Laurentii Salvii [Laurentius Salvius].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358145

"Potamogeton crispus L." Tropicos® > Name Search.
Available @ http://www.tropicos.org/Name/26300085

Weakley, Alan S.; Ludwig, J. Christopher; and Townsend, John F. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Edited by Bland Crowder. Fort Worth TX: BRIT Press, Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

Hope for Chácara do Céu Museum Art Theft and Gardner Museum Art Theft

Summary: Vincent Van Gogh Museum art theft recoveries give Chácara do Céu Museum art theft and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft casualties hope.

Rio de Janeiro's Museu da Chácara do Céu (Chácara do Céu Museum), site of Friday, Feb. 24, 2006, theft of four artworks: Ministério da Cultura do Brasil, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft March 18, 1990, anticipated the Vincent Van Gogh Museum art theft Dec. 7, 2002, and the Chácara do Céu Museum art theft Feb. 24, 2006.

A foray into art museum history brings up ominous foreshadowing in 1970 in Massachusetts, May 3, 1989, in Brazil and April 15, 1991, in The Netherlands. The dates call up thefts of the same Rembrandt self-portrait in 1970 and 1990 and of the same Dalí and Matisse oils in 1989 and 2006. They draw upon similar means as their successors: deceiving on-duty security guards in Boston, demonstrating armed force in Rio de Janeiro, devising after-hours access in Amsterdam.

The three precursor thefts experienced timely endings within their respective event cities, unlike the ongoing, unsolved thefts in Rio, Boston and, until Sept. 25, 2016, Amsterdam.

Salvador Dalí's Two Balconies (Portuguese: Os Dois Balcões), 1929 oil on wood stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI

Suspected art theft perpetrators and stolen artwork controllers found the Amsterdam, Boston and Rio museums functioning without insurance policies due to the prohibitive cost of premiums. Harold Smith (Feb. 7, 1926-Feb. 19, 2005), world-famous independent fine arts claims adjuster, gave a $3 million price tag to completely underwritten Gardner collections for 2005. He had alternate, same-year figures of $10,000 to $50,000 in annual premiums for prioritized underwriting honed to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum yearly budgets of $2.8 million.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, included in AGNSW museum history an art theft casualty June 10, 2007, and, unusually, insurance coverage. The $2 million in contributions and insurance jumped the AGNSW over the post-theft financial pressures that jeopardize operating costs and security systems in Boston and Rio.

Henri Matisse's Luxembourg Garden (Portuguese: Jardim de Luxemburgo), 1905 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI

The AGNSW and the Chácara do Céu, Gardner and Van Gogh Museum art theft experiences keynote the dual importance of insurance coverage and of security systems.

Art sleuth Smith listed among Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft vulnerabilities side entrances unprotected by a second door, unenclosed watch rooms and unsecured telephone lines. Burglar alarms, motion detectors and security cameras made no difference when mangled during the armed, daytime Chácara do Céu Museum art theft and Gardner third-shift experiences. They nurtured similar roadblocks when after-hours access nudged Vincent Van Gogh Museum art theft suspects through a roof hole and out a window before police arrivals.

Alarms, cameras and detectors operate at a disadvantage when coverage occurs in some rooms and not others, as in the case of the AGNSW art theft.

Claude Monet's Marine (Portuguese: Marinha), 1880-1980 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI

The 1970 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art theft suspect perplexed a guard with bagged, smashed light bulbs and pockets Rembrandt's postage stamp-sized self-portrait for several months. The 1989 Chácara do Céu Museum art theft qualified as an even shorter extraction with arrests in Praia de Botafogo and artwork recoveries within three weeks. Two American English-speaking 1991 Vincent Van Gogh Museum art theft suspects removed 20 paintings recovered 36 minutes later from garment bags in an abandoned Volkswagen Passat.

The 2002 Vincent Van Gogh Museum art theft recovery in Italy Sept. 25, 2016, and restoration for public Amsterdam viewings March 21, 2017, support happy endings. Van Gogh Museum Director Axel Rueger's words, "The children are safely returned now and they really are safe," tell Boston, Rio and Sydney to tweak hopefulness.

Pablo Picasso's Dance (Portuguese: A Dança), 1956 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Rio de Janeiro's Museu da Chácara do Céu (Chacara do Céu Museum), site of Friday, Feb. 24, 2006, theft of four artworks: Ministério da Cultura do Brasil, CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museu_da_Ch%C3%A1cara_do_C%C3%A9u_01.jpg

Salvador Dalí's Two Balconies (Portuguese: Os Dois Balcões), 1929 oil on wood stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI @ https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/theft-museu-chacara-do-ceu-rio-de-janeiro

Henri Matisse's Luxembourg Garden (Portuguese: Jardim de Luxemburgo), 1905 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI @ https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/theft-museu-chacara-do-ceu-rio-de-janeiro

Claude Monet's Marine (Portuguese: Marinha), 1880-1980 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI @ https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/theft-museu-chacara-do-ceu-rio-de-janeiro

Pablo Picasso's Dance (Portuguese: A Dança), 1956 oil on canvas stolen during Chácara do Céu Museum 2006 art theft: Federal Bureau of Investigation Art Crime Team, Public Domain, via FBI @ https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/art-theft/fbi-top-ten-art-crimes/theft-museu-chacara-do-ceu-rio-de-janeiro

For further information:

Amore, Anthony; and Vicki Oliveri. Stolen Cavalier: Dedicated to Recovering a Cavalier by Frans van Mieris through Crowd-Sourcing Information. Blog at WordPress.com.
Available @ https://stolencavalier.wordpress.com/

Canellos, Peter S. 19 March 1990. "Secret Collector's Passion or Ransom Seen as Motive." Boston Globe > Metro.
Available @ https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/1990/03/19/secret-collector-passion-ransom-seen-motive/uexhMgL27LCo2pqcUXgzVL/story.html

Escritt, Thomas. 21 March 2017. "Stolen Van Gogh Paintings Back in Amsterdam After 14 Years." Reuters > Edition: United States > Life > Arts > Lifestyle.
Available @ http://www.reuters.com/article/us-art-vangogh-idUSKBN16S15J

Hill, Lisa. 6 February 2017. "Van Gogh Museum Announces Date for Return of Stolen Paintings to Amsterdam." Sutton > Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam.
Available @ http://suttonpr.com/assets/Press-release-Van-Gogh-Museum-announces-date-for-return-of-stolen-paintings-to-Amsterdam.pdf

Kurkjian, Stephen. 13 March 2005. "The Gardner Heist: Secrets behind the Largest Art Theft in History." The Boston Globe > Boston.com > News > Special Reports > Globe Special Reports. Available @ http://archive.boston.com/news/specials/gardner_heist/heist/

Marriner, Derdriu. 31 March 2017. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Dead-ends to the Gardner 13." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/03/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art_31.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 14 April 2017. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Mashberg and Massachusetts." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/04/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art_14.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 7 April 2017. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft: Robert Wittman and Corsica." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/04/isabella-stewart-gardner-museum-art.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 24 March 2017. "Van Gogh Museum Theft Return by Gardner Museum Art Theft Anniversary." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/03/van-gogh-museum-theft-return-by-gardner.html

Montgomery, Paul L. 15 April 1991. "Lost and Found: Huge van Gogh Theft Fails." The New York Times > Arts > International Arts.
Available @ http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/15/arts/lost-and-found-huge-van-gogh-theft-fails.html

Skidmore, Thomas E. 1999. Brazil: Five Centuries of Change in Latin America. Latin American Histories series. New York NY: Oxford University Press.

Tardáguila, Cristina. 2016. A Arte do Descaso. Rio de Janeiro Brazil: Editora Intrínseca.
Available @ https://www.amazon.com.br/Arte-do-Descaso-Cristina-Tard%C3%A1guila/dp/8580578965/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452189811&sr=8-1&keywords=a+arte+do+descas

Serpens the Serpent Constellation Is the Only Two Part Constellation

Summary: Serpens the Serpent Constellation is the only two part constellation, with head and tail at opposite sides of Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder constellation.

Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder with Serpens, the only two part constellation, as depicted in Alexander Jamieson’s A Celestial Atlas (1822), Plate IX: Public Domain, via U.S. Naval Observatory

Serpens the Serpent Constellation is the only two part constellation, with the Serpens Caput (Serpent’s Head) and Serpens Cauda (Serpent’s Tail) disconnected by the intervening constellation of Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder.

In front view depictions of the Serpent Holder, he grasps the Serpent’s upper body, known as Serpens Caput, in his left hand. Ophiuchus’s right hand holds the Serpent’s lower body, known as Serpens Cauda.

Back view depictions of Ophiuchus reverse the grasps. With his back toward stargazers, the Serpent Holder grasps Serpens Caput in his right hand while his left hand clasps Serpens Cauda.

At mid-northern latitudes in May, Serpens the Serpent constellation rises well above the southeastern horizon around midnight. Dark skies, undisturbed by light pollution, reveal the Milky Way dip that the lowest coil of Serpens Cauda shares with Ophiuchus. Serpens Caput never nears the solar system’s hazy band of multitudinous lights.

Serpens Caput angles upward, above Libra the Scales constellation and below Corona Borealis the Northern Crown constellation. Along with Ophiuchus, Hercules the Kneeling Hero defines Serpens Caput’s eastern borders. Virgo the Maiden constellation and Boötes the Herdsman constellation frame Serpens Caput’s western boundaries.

Serpens Caput resides primarily in the northern celestial hemisphere. The constellation’s lowest expanses venture across the celestial equator, the imaginary circle projected from Earth’s equator outward into space, and dip, by a few degrees, into the southern celestial hemisphere.

In its emergence from the opposite side of the Serpent Holder, Serpens Cauda droops slightly downward toward its southern neighbor, Sagittarius the Archer constellation. Its downward trail brings Serpens Cauda closer than Serpens Caput to the plane of the ecliptic, the sun’s apparent path across the Earth-centered celestial sphere.

Often Serpens Cauda coils from behind the Serpent Holder’s left leg, as in A Celestial Atlas (1822) by Scottish rhetorician Alexander Jamieson (1782-July 1850). Prodromus Astronomiae, a posthumously published star catalog by Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (Jan. 28, 1611-Jan. 28, 1687), however, obscures the Serpent’s mid-section behind the front of the Serpent Holder’s body. For Hevelius, a back viewed depiction of Ophiuchus angles Serpens Caput outward from the Serpent Holder’s bent left leg and Serpens Cauda outward from the Serpent Holder’s straightened, right left.

Quickly Serpens Cauda angles upward as Ophiuchus’s grasp raises the rest of the Serpent’s lower body, all the way to its tail, aloft. Scutum the Shield constellation and Aquila the Eagle constellation mark Serpens Cauda’s eastern borders. Hercules the Kneeling Hero constellation perches above while Ophiuchus claims the Tail’s western frontier.

For about 145 years, Serpens Cauda troubled the forelegs and a hind leg of a late-18th century constellation, Poniatowski’s Bull. In 1777, Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit astronomer Marcin Odlanick Poczobutt (Oct. 30, 1728-Feb. 7, 1810) discerned and created, from unfigured stars in Ophiuchus, a small, bovine constellation honoring Stanisław II August, last King and Grand Duke of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as a dedicated patron of arts and sciences. Poniatowski’s Bull constellation became obsolete after its exclusion from the 88 modern constellations named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922. The small constellation, however, survives as a v-shaped asterism, Poniatowski’s Bull, near the Serpent Holder’s right shoulder.

As with Serpens Caput, Serpens Cauda straddles the celestial equator. Contrastingly, about one-third of Serpens Cauda resides in the northern celestial hemisphere while about two-thirds lie in the southern celestial hemisphere.

Serpens the Serpent constellation rates as 23rd largest among the 88 modern constellations established by the International Astronomical Union. Its total area of 636.928 square degrees places it between its eastern neighbor, Aquila the Eagle constellation, number 22 at 652.473 square degrees, and Perseus the Hero constellation, number 24 at 614.997 square degrees.

Serpens Caput claims double the area of Serpens Cauda. Serpens Caput contributes 428.484 square degrees to the total of 636.928 square degrees. Serpens Cauda covers 208.444 square degrees.

The takeaway for Serpens the Serpent constellation as the only two part constellation is that Serpens Caput (Serpent’s Head) and Serpens Cauda (Serpent’s Tail) noticeably frame Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer for stargazers at mid-northern latitudes in May.

naked eye astronomy visibility of Serpens the Serpent, the only two part constellation:
Serpens Caput constellation (left); Serpens Cauda constellation (right): Till Credner, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder with Serpens, the only two part constellation, as depicted in Alexander Jamieson’s A Celestial Atlas (1822), Plate IX: Public Domain, via U.S. Naval Observatory @ http://aa.usno.navy/mil/library/

naked eye astronomy visibility of Serpens the Serpent, the only two part constellation:
Serpens Caput constellation (left): Till Credner, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SerpensCaputCC.jpg
Serpens Cauda constellation (right): Till Credner, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SerpensCaudaCC.jpg

For further information:

Jamieson, Alexander. A Celestial Atlas: Comprising a Systematic Display of the Heavens in a Series of Thirty Maps Illustrated by Scientific Description of Their Contents and Accompanied by Catalogues of the Stars and Astronomical Exercises. London, England: G. & W.B. Whittaker, 1822.
Available via U.S. Naval Observatory Library @ http://aa.usno.navy.mil/library/

Kaler, James B. (Jim). "Ophiuchus and Serpens." University of Illinois Astronomy Department.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/ophser-p.html

Plotner, Tammy. "Serpens Caput." Universe Today. Dec. 24, 2015.
Available @ http://www.universetoday.com/23586/serpens-caput/

Plotner, Tammy. "Serpens Cauda." Universe Today. Dec. 24, 2015.
Available @ http://www.universetoday.com/23601/serpens-cauda/

Ridpath, Ian. “Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder.” Ian Ridpath > Star Tales.
Available @ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.htm

Ridpath, Ian. “Serpens the Serpent.” Ian Ridpath > Star Tales.
Available @ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/serpens.htm

Der Fliegende Holländer Is the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Der Fliegende Holländer, a German-language opera by Richard Wagner.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin rarely spends more than two weeks away from his feline trio: Rafa, a two-year-old Highland Lynx (above), four-year-old Rodolfo and 14-year-old Mélisande: Yannick Nézet-Séguin @nezetseguin, via Twitter March 29, 2017

Der Fliegende Holländer (“The Flying Dutchman”), an opera concerning redemptive love by German composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883), is the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Unlike many opera composers, Richard Wagner tackled both the libretti and the scores for his operas. The literary source for Wagner’s German libretto is The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des Herrn von Schnabelewopski), 19th century German writer Heinrich Heine’s 1834 retelling of the legend of a sea captain doomed to sail the oceans for eternity.

Wagner’s personal inspiration for Der Fliegende Holländer was a hapless sea voyage from Riga, Latvia, to London, England, that lasted for three and one-half weeks instead of its projected eight days. He recalled the storm-riddled, protracted voyage in his Autobiographical Sketch, published in 1843:

“This voyage I never shall forget as long as I live; it lasted three and a half weeks, and was rich in mishaps. Thrice did we endure the most violent of storms, and once the captain found himself compelled to put into a Norwegian haven. The passage among the crags of Norway made a wonderful impression on my fancy; the legends of the Flying Dutchman, as I heard them from the seamen’s mouths, were clothed for me in a distinct and individual colour, borrowed from the adventures of the ocean through which I then was passing.” (pp. 13-14)

Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer premiered Jan. 2, 1843. The venue was Semperoper, the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera), in the historic center of Dresden, Saxony, east central Germany. The premiere took place in Semperoper’s first building, a medley of Early Renaissance, Baroque and Greek classical revival styles designed by German architect Gottfried Semper (Nov. 29, 1803-May 15, 1879). A fire destroyed the first building in 1869. Today’s Semperoper is the third building, reconstructed around the second building’s World War II-gutted shell.

Wagner sets his opera along the Norwegian coast. The time is not specified.

The exacting composer intended for intermission-free performance of Der Fliegende Holländer. Opera houses either follow Wagner’s directive or observe a three-act version. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 production honors Wagner’s directive.

The Saturday matinee broadcast of Aida begins at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (5 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time). The estimated run time for the performance is about 2 hours 21 minutes.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts all performances, including the Saturday matinee broadcast, of Der Fliegende Holländer. His birthplace is Montreal, Quebec, eastern Canada. The Canadian conductor debuted with the Met’s 2009 production of Carmen by Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

On Thursday, June 2, 2016, the Metropolitan Opera confirmed Yannick Nézet-Séguin as the Met's new music director. The Montrealer assumes the title of music director designate for the 2017-2018 season. His busy schedule, which includes serving through the 2025-2026 season as the Philadelphia Orchestra's eighth music director, keeps Yannick Nézet-Séguin from assuming the official title as the Met's music director before the 2020-2021 season.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin's predecessor, James Levine, who has held the position since 1976, conducted Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) on May 7, 2016, for his final performance as the Met's music director. James Levine has returned during the 2016-2017 as Music Director Emeritus.

Michael Volle appears in the opera’s title role. He was born in Freudenstadt, Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. The German baritone opera singer debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Mandryka in Arabella by Richard Georg Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Amber Wagner appears as Norwegian sea captain Daland’s daughter, Senta, whose self-effacing love breaks the Flying Dutchman’s curse. Amber Wagner’s birthplace is Santa Barbara, California. The American soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 as Anna in Nabucco by Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Franz-Josef Selig appears as Daland, the Norwegian sea captain who agrees to marry his daughter, Senta, to a stranger, the accursed Flying Dutchman, in exchange for a treasure chest. He was born in Mayen, Rhineland-Palatinate, west central Germany. The German bass opera singer debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1998 as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Dolora Zajick appears as Mary, Senta’s nurse. Her birthplace is Salem, Marion County, northwestern Oregon. The American mezzo-soprano debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1989 as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida.

Jay Hunter Morris appears as Erik, a huntsmen who wishes to marry Senta. He was born in Paris, Lamar County, northeastern Texas. The American operatic tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2007 as Števa in Jenufa by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928).

Ben Bliss appears as the young steersman whose sleepy watch allows the other-worldly Flying Dutchman to drop anchor alongside Daland’s ship. His birthplace is Prairie Village, Johnson County, northeastern Kansas. The American tenor debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 2014 as Vogelgesang in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (“The Master-Singers of Nuremberg”). This season Ben Bliss also appears as Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Operabase, an online database, places Richard Wagner at number 5 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. Der Fliegende Holländer places at 24 in the list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016 Repertory Report gives performance statistics through Oct. 31. Der Fliegende Holländer holds place 48, with 154 performances, for the period from first Met performance, Nov. 27, 1889, to last performance, May 14, 2010. The Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-2017 season falls outside the report’s parameters.

The takeaway for Der Fliegende Holländer as the April 29, 2017, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is the composer’s presentation of his cherished female and male archetypes who push redemptive love beyond death.

Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts all performances, including the April 29, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of Richard Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook April 12, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Yannick Nézet-Séguin rarely spends more than two weeks away from his feline trio: Rafa, a two-year-old Highland Lynx (above), four-year-old Rodolfo and 14-year-old Mélisande: Yannick Nézet-Séguin @nezetseguin, via Twitter March 29, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/nezetseguin/status/847244514968215553

Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts all performances, including the April 29, 2017, Saturday matinee broadcast, of Richard Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer in the 2016-2017 Met Opera season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook April 12, 2017, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158637537195533/

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Cooper, Michael. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin to Succeed James Levine as Met Opera's Music Director." The New York Times. June 2, 2016.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/arts/music/yannick-nezet-seguin-to-succeed-james-levine-as-met-operas-music-director.html?

Le German Blog. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Symphonic Rise." Le Germain Hotels > Le Germain Blog. April 1, 2017.
Available @ https://www.legermainhotels.com/en/blog/85/yannick-nezet-seguin-symphonic-rise

Metropolitan Opera. “The 2016-17 Live in HD Season.” YouTube. July 11, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEUgcdapvKg

Metropolitan Opera. "Der Fliegende Holländer: Overture." YouTube. March 30, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYgLhJz1vJY

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) opening April 25. . . .Photo by Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera." Facebook. April 12, 2017.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10158637537195533/

The New York Times @nytimes. "Yannick Nézet-Séguin will succeed James Levine as the Metropolitan Opera's music director." Twitter. June 2, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/738351471788462080

“Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Tommasini, Anthony. "James Levine Ends a Climactic Season With the Met Orchestra." The New York Times. May 27, 2016.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/arts/music/james-levine-ends-a-climactic-season-with-the-met-orchestra.html?

Wagner, Richard. “Autobiographic Sketch (Autobiographische Skizze).” Richard Wagner’s Prose Works. Vol. I: The Art-Work of the Future, Etc.: 1-19. Translated by William Ashton Ellis. Second edition. London, England: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/stream/richardwagnerspr011341mbp#page/n37/mode/1up

Yannick Nézet-Séguin @nezetseguin. "Tomorrow 1st orchestra rehearsal of Flying Dutchman . . . . Excited beyond belief! (Nice help studying)." Twitter. March 29, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/nezetseguin/status/847244514968215553

Americanized Curly Dock Gardens Away From Poultry, Tobacco, Vegetables

Summary: Americanized curly dock gardens let the European native and toxic, weedy relatives halt reflection and runoff away from poultry, tobacco and vegetables.

closeup of mature Rumex crispus fruits; each of the fruit's three valves (faces) bears a grain or callosity; Bozeman, Gallatin County, southwestern Montana; Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008, 17:24:32: Matt Lavin, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Americanized curly dock gardens adjust ground reflection and surface runoff rates downward by absorbing excess moisture on low-lying depressions, acting as ground cover on problem soils and adapting to soil food webs.

Curly dock, also commonly named curled dock, narrowleaf dock, sour dock and yellow dock, becomes aggressive on cultivated croplands and low-lying pastures and bothersome to ecosystems. The herbaceous perennial in the Polygonaceae family of buckwheat herbs and shrubs conveys poisons through seeds and shoots to poultry and viruses to tobacco and vegetables. It draws beet curly top, cucumber mosaic, rhubarb ring spot and tobacco broad ring spot, mosaic, ring spot and streak viral diseases onto farmlands and gardens.

Weed sanctions exist against Asiatic tearthumb, common sheep sorrel, curly dock, Japanese knotweed, pale smartweed, prostrate knotweed, southern threecornerjack, spiny threecornerjack, Tartary buckwheat and wild buckwheat.

Seedling stages find curly dock with dull green, hairless, oblong, 0.28- to 0.64-inch- (7- to 16.3-millimeter-) long, 0.06- to 0.20-inch- (1.5- to 5.1-millimeter-) wide embryonic leaves.

Curly dock cotyledons give way to first-stage, lance-shaped leaves with ocrea (sheath from basal paired membranes, called stipules, at leaf-to-stem attachments called nodes) and veined undersides. The alternate, lance-shaped, mature, 3.94- to 11.81-inch (10- to 30-centimeter-) long foliage has crinkled or wavy margins and 0.98- to 1.97-inch- (2.5- to 5-centimeter-) long stalks. The upper foliage is smaller than the lower while the brown, papery texture of the 0.39- to 1.97-inch- (1- to 5-centimeter-) long ocrea increases with age.

Americanized curly dock gardens, except where judged offensively weedy by Arkansas and Iowa state and Canadian and Mexican federal legislation, juggle stalks for flowers or leaves.

closeup of immature Rumex crispus fruits; Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, northern San Diego, Southern California; Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 08:50: Stickpen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Hormones and nutrients from fleshy, 4.92-foot- (1.5-meter-) deep, thick, yellow taproots keep 15.75- to 62.99-inch- (40- to 160-centimeter-) tall curled dock leafing, flowering, fruiting and seeding.

Red-green stems, whose leaf-to-stem attachment points at nodes look large and swollen, launch dissolved hormones and photosynthates for life-sustaining activities throughout above-ground shoots and below-ground roots. Their jointed, 0.16- to 0.32-inch- (4- to 8-millimeter-) long stalks maintain April- through September-blooming, branching, perfect, pyramid-shaped, 10- to 25-whorled, 23.62-inch- (60-centimeter-) long inflorescences called panicles. Each immature green and mature brown to red-green flower 0.12 to 0.19 inches (3 to 5 millimeters) across needs one pistil, three styles and six stamens.

Americanized curly dock gardens offer each flower three sepals in one inner, red, 0.14- to 0.24-inch- (3.5- to 6-millimeter-) long whorl and one green, outer whorl.

Enlarged inner sepals protect dry, nonexplosive, three-sided fruits called achenes, all of which optimally produce over 60,000 red-brown, three-sided seeds for every curly dock's growing season.

The 0.08- to 0.12-inch- (2- to 3-millimeter-) long, 0.06- to 0.08-inch- (1.5- to 2-millimeter-) wide seeds quit being viable in soil after 50 to 80 years. Their germination requires eight to 15 hours of sunlight, maximum 1.18-inch (3-centimeter) depths and temperatures between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (20 and 30 degrees Celsius). All curly dock stages, described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (May 23, 1707-Jan. 10, 1778) and named Rumex crispus (curly-haired dock), seek moisture but survive drought.

Americanized curly dock gardens thwart ground reflection and surface runoff when the European native transforms courtyards, depressions, roadsides and wastelands away from poultry, tobacco and vegetables.

curly dock (Rumex crispus) life cycle of green immaturity to red brown maturity of flowers and fruits; southeastern Metzger Farm Open Space, Westminster, northeastern Colorado; Thursday, June 19, 2014: Jim Kennedy (nature80020), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

closeup of mature Rumex crispus fruits; each of the fruit's three valves (faces) bears a grain or callosity; Bozeman, Gallatin County, southwestern Montana; Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008, 17:24:32: Matt Lavin, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/5006018713/

closeup of immature Rumex crispus fruits, which mature to red brown color; Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, northern San Diego, Southern California; Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 08:50: Stickpen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rumexcrispus.jpg

curly dock (Rumex crispus) life cycle of green immaturity to red brown maturity of flowers and fruits; southeastern Metzger Farm Open Space, Westminster, northeastern Colorado; Thursday, June 19, 2014: Jim Kennedy (nature80020), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/nature80020/14466960612/

For further information:

Dickinson, Richard; and Royer, France. 2014. Weeds of North America. Chicago IL; London, England: The University of Chicago Press.

Linnaeus, Carl. 1753. "9. Rumex crispus." Species Plantarum, vol. I: 335. Holmiae [Stockholm, Sweden]: Laurentii Salvii [Laurentius Salvius].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358354

Modzelevich, Martha. "Rumex crispus, Curled Dock, Curly Dock, Yellow Dock, Sour Dock, Narrow Dock, חומעה מסולסלת." Flowers in Israel.
Available @ http://www.flowersinisrael.com/Rumexcrispus_page.htm

"Rumex crispus L." Tropicos® > Name Search.
Available @ http://www.tropicos.org/Name/26000108

Weakley, Alan S.; Ludwig, J. Christopher; and Townsend, John F. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Edited by Bland Crowder. Fort Worth TX: BRIT Press, Botanical Research Institute of Texas.