Gay Rebel Scum

>>When I saw that one of the prompts was "goldenrod," I knew that I'd end up recommending one of my favourite essays from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer!<<

I have not read it, but added it to my wishlist forthwith. I have read much indigenous writing, and in recent years, I am most captivated by the steady trickle of cookbooks ranging from traditional recipes to modern gourmet-style ones (of which I favor the former approach). I have spent much time running down rabbitholes of research for some of my series like The Bear Tunnels with a tribal foundation.

>> Dr Kimmerer is a Powatomi botanist and poet, and her book blends modern science, knowledge passed down via her indigenous heritage, and stories from her remarkably interesting life. <<

Oh, cool. I'm in central Illinois and that's a tribe not far from here -- part of their territory was northern Illinois. Up near Danville there's a Potawotami festival. Most of what I pick up is Cherokee or Lakota, or something far-flung I'm researching for a specific locale.

>>When Kimmerer first begins her botany programme, she tells her professor that she wants to learn why asters and goldenrod look so beautiful together. <<

Because purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel and contrast creates interest. She just asked the wrong scientists. Any optics scientist could tell you that. So could any artist, there are whole classes on color theory. *ponder* Or you could check the Asian department, because flower arranging is a huge thing in Japan, but they use different flowers. But you have to know where to look for information, who to ask, and most incoming students don't unless they grew up with family friends in academia.

>>Her professors laugh this off as the frivolous interests of a silly young girl, and I think it highlights a fundamental issue with mainstream science. <<

Absolutely, which leads directly to this.

The science of aesthetics is absolutely a thing, but it's weirdly broken up. You get it with the "golden" geometries in grade school or junior high, then it's rarely mentioned until graduate school. Hardly helpful.

>> Kimmerer's question isn't just about her two favourite flowers, she wants to understand their relationship to each other and to herself. <<

Yeah, that's ecology. It'll keep surprising you. I've studied it for years and only recently stumbled across what a potent insectary plant goldenrod is, supporting hundreds of species. I knew mine was always full of butterflies but now that I know how valuable it is, I'm not trying to replace all of it with native grasses or other wildflowers.

>> While science has gotten better about understanding ecology in the last few hundred years,<<

... sort of. They're still too stupid to figure out "don't saw off the branch you're standing on" with regard to protecting the biosphere.

>> I think we as "Westerners" (to the extent that the term means anything) <<

It's a very dangerous cultural paradigm that is prevalent in the western and northern hemispheres, but that doesn't mean any individual has to agree with it. To me it's just amazing bullshit.

>> tend to forget that we're also part of the ecosystem. <<

They also can't figure out that the economy and the environment are not at odds, the economy is a subset of the environment. No environment, no economy. Also no humans.

>>We need these different perspectives in order to better understand our world,<<

True.

>> and I found it extremely upsetting that Kimmerer's professors didn't foster that curiosity.<<

Sadly that's the norm. Especially, straight white Christian male professors tend to misunderstand or outright sabotage anyone who is different. *shrug* It's a university, it has multiple libraries, raid them for your education and throw the professors whatever bones are required to maintain your attendance. Don't expect them to be actually useful, but on average you will get at least one per semester who's absolutely worth your devoted attention.

>> Kimmerer then goes on to answer her question, and the answer takes her across multiple disciplines, all woven together in her stunning prose. <<

What did she come up with? Thinking beyond the obvious color contrast, they're also both autumn-blooming bug magnets. All those are reasons why they're commonly paired in garden plans or seed packets for a wildlife or insect garden. Me, I've got goldenrod out the wazoo but the only asters I've had major luck with are the little white frost asters growing wild. I keep trying to get some purple ones going but they're iffy. Got one to bloom this year, though.

>>Goldenrod season is soon upon us in my little corner of the world<<

Yeah, mine are waist to shoulder high right now. By the time they bloom, they'll be head-high or a little more. The sunchokes usually tower up to 10-12 feet but got knocked sideways by a storm, so they're effectively shorter this season. Same thing happened to the cup plants, but those are already blooming.