Food For Thought/ Micro Views of Sustenance: Threats and Prospects/
We humans are busy going about our lives, while nature is in shock from the choices that we make. This series offers a micro perspective on how one part of nature–our food–is connected to climate change. As a career educator, lifetime fan of tiny nature, and photographer, I'm compelled to interpret these issues in a new way.
Every day, we’re more intimately tied to food than most anything else. Foods become our personal friends, or adversaries; these relationships play out on the world stage as they shape environmental quality, and even climate change. Making new "food friends" and letting go of old ones, as a society, can dramatically impact these issues.
These images symbolize both the abundance and the threat that humanity has brought to the dinner table. I feature resilient, edible seeds and grains like millet and sunflower, which offer significant minerals and nutrients and can be a great source of plant protein. Reducing meat consumption in favor of these plant sources would have a huge impact on reducing greenhouse gasses. Staple crops like wheat, rice and soy are all threatened by human-caused climate change. Yields and nutrient values of these and other foods are decreasing, putting extra strain on developing regions. Regenerative agriculture and carbon farming offer an alternative strategy. Rebuilding soil is one of the most powerful ways to capture carbon, and earthworms are heroes in this process. Azolla, the high-protein, fast-growing floating fern which is credited with removing half of the planet's excess CO2 50 million years ago, symbolizes the power of plants to heal the planet.
Images were made with a scanning electron microscope; they feature natural objects that are often smaller than a pinhead. DSLR macro photography completes the photomontages, to allow a surreal conversation between natural objects, and minute details of themselves. They are inspired by nature, and the artistic visions of Uelsmann, Blossfeldt, and Chris Jordan. Images are best seen at 30” x 30”.
BLUEBERRY RISE
This image in inspired by the 1968 Earthrise photo taken from space by William Anders. That iconic image launched the environmental movements decades ago. Today, agriculture is both a major source and potential healer of the climate crisis. Blueberries in Michigan are being impacted by seasonal shifts which bring new pests, harsh weather, and fewer pollinators. Blueberry seed: 300x
CARROT LEAVES
Carrots and other produce worldwide are threatened by wild swings of drought and flooding.
WHEAT SPROUT ON FIRE
Wheat yields are decreasing with rising temperatures. At the same time, nutrient content will decrease in a hotter climate, a burden for developing nations. Crops are also threatened by drought.
AVOCADO SEED SKIN
Avocados grown in California are threatened by drought, so much so that some growers are choosing not to plant trees destined to mature (and struggle) in hotter conditions of the future.
OLIVE HEAD
Olives are another staple food impacted by climate change. In 2018, the olive oil industry in Italy crashed, while Spain’s olives did very well. Climate chaos impacts the range and viability of crops, and this pattern is being repeated worldwide. Olive bud: 80x, leaf: 270x
LACE LICHEN
Lace lichen has been used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes; it has antibacterial properties. Lichens are an indicator of clean air, and lace lichen doesn’t thrive where there are significant levels of pollution. It has been impacted by wildfires caused by drought; researchers have found it failing to return to burn sites even ten years after a fire. Lichen: 50x
Buckwheat is an excellent source of plant-based protein. When used as a cover crop, buckwheat reduces the need for fertilizer, captures carbon, and it helps soil hold water.
URCHIN TAKES KELP
Warming oceans stoke diseases that have wiped out sunflower stars along the Pacific coast. Kelp-eating urchins thrive without predation from the stars. Kelp reduces ocean acidification, captures carbon and provides habitat. Urchin tube foot disk: 270x, urchin teeth marks on bull kelp:1x
LETTUCE AND SEEDS
Most lettuce grown in the USA comes from Arizona and California. In recent years, both locations have experienced unseasonal shifts in heat and rain which delayed plantings or caused early harvests. The E coli outbreak on Romaine lettuce is being tied to warming temperatures. Seeds: 80x
HOPS
Spines on the edge of a hop leaf may not be enough to protect this plant, crucial to the brewing of beer, from the vagaries of climate change; it’s range is being constrained.
KALE
Organic kale and produce have grown very popular in the past decades. Little known is that large-scale organic farms may emit more greenhouse gasses than conventional farms.
RICE LIFE CYCLE
Rice is imperiled by rising sea levels, and shifting geographic ranges. Rice crops produce a great deal of methane, but researchers now explore how to grow rice without this greenhouse gas as a byproduct.
50 million years ago, Azolla grew in such huge quantities that it is credited with removing half of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This fast-growing, high-protein plant is being used for livestock feed, and possibly, for human consumption as well.
The decline of bees worldwide is well-documented, as is the threat to crops that rely on them for pollination. Little known is that natural mycelial extracts are being developed which boost bee immunity. Mycologist Paul Stamets says,, “Mycelium is the immune system of the mushroom.” Fuzz: 800x
LAVENDER DETAIL
As a perennial plant with nutritional, horticultural and medicinal uses, lavender fields help build soil, feed pollinators, and reduce the need for yearly tilling. Flower detail: 300x
COMPOST AND THE SOIL SPONGE
Three grains of "topsoil" versus three "grains" of compost at 90x – compost creates a sponge in soil, collecting water, air, and room for roots to spread. This is the foundation of a carbon-rich soil, which is the base of a cooler planet.
BIOCHAR
The addition of biochar to soils, if done correctly, greatly increases the capacity of soils to hold water, nutrients and carbon. Use of biochar can be a "carbon negative" process. The central biochar in this image is the size of a pinhead, and the crystalline, porous surface hints at its sponge-like qualities.
HAZELNUTS
Hazelnuts are a key species in agro- forestry and carbon farming. When used as part of no-till agriculture, farmers show that they can capture more carbon than they release.
PEA and CRICKET PROTEIN
High quality protein can be produced at a fraction of the resource cost (land, water, energy) compared to traditional livestock agriculture. Chips made from crickets and burgers from peas are just a few examples of options that are recently becoming popular. Pollen: 2400x, Cricket leg: 110x, wing: 24x
FAVA COVER
A key principal of regenerative agriculture is: Keep Soil Covered—no bare ground (soil bakes, micro organisms die, erosion damages.) Cover crops reverse this, and add essential nitrogen and carbon to soil without petrochemicals. Fava Pollen: 3400x
MUSHROOM CLOUD
Fungal/mycelial networks are indispensable for creating healthy soil, optimum conditions for plant growth, and remarkably: rain. Trillions of fungal spoors released into the air act as rain seeds, which create clouds. Wine cap mycelium:1x, lion’s mane: 1x, golden oyster:1x
BORAGE SEED
Borage has medicinal and nutritional benefits and are welcome additions to forest gardens.
SUNFLOWER PETALS, POLLEN, FLORET
Sunflowers are highly resistant to drought, increased heat, and disease. They’re seen as a key species by researchers looking to support healthy crops in the future. Petals:130x, Pollen: 900x, Floret: 700x
Food For Thought/ Micro Views of Sustenance: Threats and Prospects/ We humans are busy going about our lives, while nature is in shock from the choices that we make. This series offers a micro perspective on how one part of nature–our food–is ...
Robert Dash Photography
Robert Dash is an educator, naturalist and photographer whose work features the complex textures and patterns of micro nature.