Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 20, 2023

11

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 20, 2023 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

It’s Her DESTINY!

Just a baby she is! Only 7 weeks 
old and scooped up from roam-
ing the streets by a caring person 
who reached out to us, and we 
immediately said, “Yes!.” What 
a cutie, with beautiful big blue 
eyes! We are all in LOVE with 
her! She's very friendly, cuddly, 
and fearless! She's just teensy-
weensy, so she must have been either abandoned from a home 
or her mommy left her. 

Now it's her DESTINY to find a great home! Is it yours? Do 
you have another very young kitty, or else lots of time to 
spend with her so she can con-tinue to be friendly and cuddly? Maybe she's YOUR destiny, 
too! She'll be ready for delivery after she's spayed, in June. She'll be GORGEOUS when she's 
all grown! See more pictures of her on our Very Young page, and submit your application 
quickly. 

She’ll be ready for delivery in June, after her spay. www.lifelineforpets.org. 


THE GREATEST BOTANIST THAT NOBODY 
KNOWS: DR. LEONID ENARI

[Nyerges is a teacher and author 
in ethnobotany, who was 
a student of Dr. Leonid Enari. 
He is working on a book 
about the life and teachings 
of Dr. Enari. More information 
about Nyerges at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

 

By January of 1974, I’d developed enough 
basic knowledge in ethno-botany to be 
able to lead my first formal and professional 
plant walk. One hundred people 
showed up that day, each paying one dollar 
cash for the privilege of walking along and 
learning about the uses of the plants along 
the trail. 

 

To get to that point where I was able to lead 
such a walk, I had attended botany classes 
in high school and college, joined the L.A. 
Mycological Association, attended countless 
local plant lectures, and made friends 
and associates with several local botanists, 
biologist, and native Americans (such as 
Dorothy Poole, “chaparral Granny”). But 
I’d not yet met Dr. Enari.

 

In January of 1975, my mentor R.E. White 
showed me a news clipping from the local 
paper about an upcoming class called “Edible, 
Medicinal, and Poisonous Plants,” to 
be held at the L.A. County Arboretum in 
Arcadia.

 

I do remember thinking, “Well, I already 
know a lot about wild foods and native 
uses of plants. I do hope this will be worth 
my time.” How foolish I was to think that!

 

On our first night of the class, we were 
shocked at the large number of students 
– perhaps as many as 50 – seated around 
tables that had been arranged in a large 
square, upon which were arrayed the many 
plants which would be our lesson. I was 
very impressed, especially since I did not 
recognize many of the plants.

 

Once everyone was seated, we met our instructor, 
Dr.Leonid Enari. This soft-spoken 
native Estonian introduced the class 
for the semester, and explained the details. 
Every night began with a discussion of 
each of the plants he brought to the class, 
often with a particular theme. We came to 
regard the unique Dr. Enari as the greatest 
botanist that nobody knows! He would 
say that with the knowledge of wild plants, 
no one need ever go hungry!

 

Dr. Enari would hold up a plant and talk 
about it. He’d tell us the common name, 
and the Latin name. He would tell us of 
its uses for food, or medicine, or other uses 
such as soap or dyes. He always seemed to 
have several interesting stories about every 
plant. 

 

After Class One with Dr. Enari, I realized 
that my botanical “knowledge” was rudimentary 
at best, and my serious study had 
begun.

 

Week after week, Dr. Enari followed the 
same routine, showing us maybe 30 news 
plants. Of course, Dr.Enari had the 127 
acres of the world-class Arboretum at his 
disposal where he could pick the plants for 
the class. 

 

Dr. Enari was the quintessential scientist, 
totally focused on his craft, where no nuance 
was too insignificant. He nearly always 
wore khaki pants and a light blue 
long-sleeved shirt. He was always serious, 
almost somber, and his in-depth knowledge 
was beyond question or reproach.

 

We later learned that while still living in 
his native Estonia, he earned his masters 
degree in 1941, and his doctorate in 1944, 
in botany/biology, and in chemistry. 

 

Though I never found a single biography 
of Dr. Enari, I was able to piece together 
the following:

 

He was born on March 31, 1914 in Estonia, 
and experienced light Nazi occupation in 
his country during WWII. He saw people 
who were hungry and starved because of 
the effects of war, and this influenced his 
choice of study and career choices. After 
earning his higher degrees, he was placed 
in charge of a Displaced Persons camp 
in Germany while serving his country’s 
military.

 

He moved to Portland, Oregon in 1944, 
where he taught chemistry at Lewis and 
Clark College. While there, he wrote 
“Plants of the Pacific Northwest.” He 
then moved to Pasadena, California, 
and joined the botanical staff of the L.A. 
County Arboretum in Arcadia where he 
taught, wrote, and led botanical tours. His 
second book was “Ornamental Shrubs of 
California.”

 

We recall that he was always very serious, 
very focused, intent. Perhaps this demeanor 
was partly due to the fact that his only 
son had recently been killed in the Vietnam 
war.

 

Over the next few years, I completed and 
earned certificates in two of his semester 
courses: “Poisonous, Edible, and Medicinal 
Plants,” and “Plant Taxonomy,” each 
the equivalent of a 3-unit college course.

 

Dr. Enari allowed and welcomed me to 
come to his office at the Arboretum and 
bring plants that I wanted identified. 
These were short sessions, rarely lasting 
more than 20 or 30 minutes. He’d tell me 
the common and Latin names of the plants 
I’d brought. In no case did I bring him a 
plant that he didn’t identify, and usually he 
also knew an interesting story about each 
plant. 

 

Dr. Enari also agreed to proofread the 
manuscript for my first book, “Guide to 
Wild Foods,” for botanical accuracy. He 
seemed very happy to be involved, and he 
also wrote a foreword for the book. When 
I presented him with a copy of the finished 
book in 1978 – with all its flaws – he 
seemed delighted at the finished product. 
At that time, there was no other book of 
that sort that had been created.

 

I still think of him as the “greatest botanist 
that nobody knows.” I mourned his passing 
of February 20, 2004.


Pet of the Week

 
To be clear, Charmin is not named after toilet paper, he’s just 
missing the apostrophe at the end of his name. He’s known at 
Pasadena Humane as Charmin’, because he is quite a charmer. 
He has won so many staff and volunteers over with his antics 
that one of his numerous fans has covered his adoption fee. 
He’s not just a handsome face, though. Charmin has smarts 
to match. He is very food motivated, and our trainers have 
taken advantage of that to teach him basic commands and 
keep his mind active as well. He really enjoys puzzle games, 
and they keep him on his toes. An active home would be perfect 
for this guy, and the more games you can throw at him, 
the better! Come meet handsome Charmin’ and watch him 
charm you! The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions 
include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate 
vaccines. New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your 
pet. 

View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.
org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption 
appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 
Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email. 


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