Latitude 2

In a July blog, I talked about latitude that stretched from northeast Iowa to northern Minnesota. In August, we took latitude to a whole new degree: all the way to Alaska! We have been on a 2-week land and sea tour that included Denali/McKinley as well as the Inside Passage from Whittier to Vancouver. What an amazing trip.

The difference in latitude between Iowisota (N43.43 degrees) and the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota (N48.06 degrees) is about 4.6 degrees or 325 miles. In contrast, Iowisota

and Denali (N63.08 degrees) are about 20 degrees, or 1380 miles, apart. I’ve found the

similarities and differences fascinating.

Back in June, cow parsnip was blooming then setting seed along streams and wet areas of the Driftless Area. I was surprised to see large patches of cow parsnip just now setting seed near wetlands from Ketchikan to Denali, Alaska. Same plant, different timing.

Fireweed makes a glorious appearance in the BWCA, but even more so in Alaska. They say, "When fireweed starts to go to cotton, summer will soon be forgotten". I was

interested to learn that fireweed shoots and flowers are edible. Summer is fading fast up there! Many views in the southern interior are very reminiscent of northern Minnesota, with large expanses of bouldery black spruce and alder wetlands. These are harsh landscapes. The profile of plant species in central Alaska is so much narrower than Iowisota, with perhaps 8 tree species present in any particular Alaskan ecosystem; by contrast, we have over 30 tree species at Iowisota.

One Alaskan plant that we don't have at Iowisota is Devil's Club. Although it sounds ominous, this beautiful plant is highly valued

for medicinal uses. An extract from the stem is made into salves. The plant is in the same family as ginseng. I found it interesting to read that it can also be found on some islands in Lake Superior; it is interesting to me that some western plants (like thimbleberry and devil's club) have remnant populations around Lake Superior.

A striking aspect of Alaskan culture is rugged self-reliance. As recently as 1986, land was still being made available for homesteading. There are many people who live off-grid and depend on hunting, foraging, and other subsistence living practices. There certainly is some appeal in this, but the long darkness of winter would be hard. It seems to me that the Driftless Area offers many opportunities for subsistence living, but in an environment that isn't as harsh. I loved Alaska, but I'm happy to be home!

September is busy at Iowisota. We still have a few spots left in Ellen Zachos' workshop on Wildcrafted Bitters on September 11th. I'll be hosting the Iowa Women's Woodland Stewardship Network for an advanced field workshop on September 19th. We have a smattering of other guests in and out throughout the month. Now that I'm home, we will try to get some additional events on the calendar, like perhaps a few walks or tree identification sessions. What would you like to see us do? We're open to suggestions!