50@50 Landscape, Culture, and the Weather
One point most of us fail to account for in our understanding of landscape is the weather – except as it impacts us on the day we’re visiting our long-awaited destination. Will our beach vacation be ruined by rain? Will we get stuck in the airport if it snows?
Larger weather pattern cycles impact animal and human migration. They affect both the attractions of a landscape – motivating of people to relocate – and the perception of the landscape over time. In 1840’s and 1850’s, the world was experiencing a bitter cold period (other periods were 1650’s, and 1770’s), and settlers were seeking warmer climates. In-depth research reveals that people from the northern states moved south in the mid-nineteenth century. Specifically relating to the Texas Hill country, many Germans from Wisconsin and other northern states moved the hill country during this period to be a part of the new German colony.
We are guilty of believing our eyes transmit “the truth” to our brains. It’s important to keep in mind that larger weather patterns substantially impact the landscape. If this had been my first visit to Bandera Texas, I would have thought it not semi-arid, but nearly desert; the landscape proliferated with gnarly, half dead oak trees; withering shrubs, proliferating cacti, dusty baking streets. However, historical records document the flooding of the Medina River – nearly washing away the town. As recently as the 1980’s, recurring seasonal floods required flood plans to be put into place. In the past , this springtime environment has appeared almost lush. I would expect to see the heat’s toll on the landscape by late August, or early September, but not the second week of summer. So while farming was mostly subsistence at the time of Bandera’s settlement, the ability of the land to support crops at that time, in all probability, exceeded its capacity today.
Culturally, the weather has even been linked to the final demise of the late Roman Empire. The “dark ages” began during an unstable cold period ~ 535, and as the temperatures warmed; with the new millennia, the arts and sciences began to flourish. Global temperatures in the early 14th century exceeded our warm 20th century, and the Black Death abated about the time temperatures began to fall again.
Thus, I try to understand all the factors that impact the intersection of landscape and culture – including the weather.