‘Botanical sexism’ could be behind your seasonal allergies

Chicago's 'century plant,' a wildfire hotline, and a poison book for sale. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. May 21, 2019 ‘Botanical Sexism’ An early USDA guidebook called for planting more male trees, which produce pollen, to avoid littering city streets with the seeds and fruits of female trees. This is one of the most significant reasons why allergies have gotten so bad for city dwellers in recent decades. Read More → For Sale: Poison Book At first glance, this 17th-century book would be right at home on any collector’s shelf. But crack it open, and things look quite different—and extremely macabre. Read more → ‘Century Plant’ A century plant in Chicago has reached a towering 32 feet tall—too big for its (very big) greenhouse home—and is showing little sign of slowing down. Read more → Wildflower Hotline Call 818-768-1802, extension 7 in March, April or May, and you'll hear actor Joe Spano rhapsodize about the wildflowers blooming in California that week. Updated every Friday for 36 years, the wildflower hotline has been extra popular because of this year's super bloom. Read more → Trash Archipelago Once gushed over by Charles Darwin, the Cocos Island chain off the northwestern coast of Australia is home to palm trees, sandy beaches, roughly 600 people—and 414 million pieces of trash. Read more → QUJING, CHINA Duge Beipanjiang Bridge The highest bridge in the world sits above the Beipanjiang Grand Valley at a dizzying height of 1,854 feet. Read more → Food & Drink House Mushrooms The basement of the Brisbane Customs House, built in the 19th century, provides peak conditions for delicious fungi. Chefs from its fine dining restaurant use it to cultivate shiitake and oyster mushrooms. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222