As you may know, the UC Botanic Garden in Berkeley has a great Southern Africa hillside, with protea but no baboons. Tons of soil had to be excavated and replaced before the plants could become successful. Each spring it blooms magnificently. This morning I had to chase "invasive" turkeys out of my garden in the Berkeley flats. Not as scary as baboons but quite destructive. Love your stories and illustrations.
I loved the botanical garden when I was at UC Berkeley. Full of interesting plants, and with access to the fire roads to upper Strawberry Canyon. I guess the South African flora grow on sand, at least those that came from the fynbos.
You're welcome. Baboons can be a hoot, or they can be scary. One of my South African friends had a big Rhodesian Ridgeback dog. The baboons executed a military maneuver, a phalanx trap, and seriously maimed the dog. They are quite capable of complex strategies. That's why I like to keep my distance.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the beautiful flowers and the baboon gone bad. Erections as signs of aggression? Professional wrestling matches would have stiff competition.
I would say that given our own western United States trend to increasing desertification with hot dry summers and drenching atmospheric rivers in the winters- that given those ongoing changes it wouldn't be a bad idea to resettle some of those amazingly adapted plants over here. I reject the term 'invasives'!
But let's leave those odious and obnoxious baboons over there in S.A.!
I'm sure the admirable Jack was a statistical outlier! Were it otherwise, everybody from coast to coast would be out walking their loveable pet baboons, and I can't see even vicious cartel lords risking owning them!
I'd rather have a root canal followed by a backed up sewage system followed by an infestation of carpenter ants followed by an army of nocturnal slugs in my veggie patch followed by another root canal!
As you may know, the UC Botanic Garden in Berkeley has a great Southern Africa hillside, with protea but no baboons. Tons of soil had to be excavated and replaced before the plants could become successful. Each spring it blooms magnificently. This morning I had to chase "invasive" turkeys out of my garden in the Berkeley flats. Not as scary as baboons but quite destructive. Love your stories and illustrations.
I loved the botanical garden when I was at UC Berkeley. Full of interesting plants, and with access to the fire roads to upper Strawberry Canyon. I guess the South African flora grow on sand, at least those that came from the fynbos.
Human encounters with the nonhumans’ worlds tend to amaze, terrify, and entertain not simply inform us! Love this one!
Very true! Glad you liked it.
Even my husband who is not a gardener enjoyed your baboon story. We both needed a good laugh after a rough week. Thank you so much!
You're welcome. Baboons can be a hoot, or they can be scary. One of my South African friends had a big Rhodesian Ridgeback dog. The baboons executed a military maneuver, a phalanx trap, and seriously maimed the dog. They are quite capable of complex strategies. That's why I like to keep my distance.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the beautiful flowers and the baboon gone bad. Erections as signs of aggression? Professional wrestling matches would have stiff competition.
I expect that will come soon.
I would say that given our own western United States trend to increasing desertification with hot dry summers and drenching atmospheric rivers in the winters- that given those ongoing changes it wouldn't be a bad idea to resettle some of those amazingly adapted plants over here. I reject the term 'invasives'!
But let's leave those odious and obnoxious baboons over there in S.A.!
Well, it turns out that baboons can be helper animals. A friend in South Africa sent me this Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(baboon).
Sure you don't want to change your mind?
Quite sure, Walter.
I'm sure the admirable Jack was a statistical outlier! Were it otherwise, everybody from coast to coast would be out walking their loveable pet baboons, and I can't see even vicious cartel lords risking owning them!
What? You don't want a pet baboon?
I'd rather have a root canal followed by a backed up sewage system followed by an infestation of carpenter ants followed by an army of nocturnal slugs in my veggie patch followed by another root canal!
Very nice painting and article! :). -- Derek
Thanks, Derek.