One Day in the Land of Tribute

On the far edge of Long Island (in Algonquin, Paumanauk, the land of tribute) blooms the Agalinis Acuta – one morning a year, at dawn. Only eleven communities are left in the world, and of late they have not been faring so well. On the morning of August 27th we will gather ten friends to witness the beautiful, disappearing phenomenon of one fellow species on earth.

The evening prior, a dinner will explore the poetic and historical trajectory of the Agalinis and its interwoven story with ecological and human succession…from the melting of the glaciers, to Native American land-burning practices, to the introduction of the railroad and transatlantic flight, to the creation of the first suburban development and finally the establishment of genetic analysis.

The bloom witnessing at dawn the next day will be followed by an hour’s rest on the secret beach 300 feet away. On our return path we will stop in to see the Agalinis Acuta flowers, already mature: by noon, most of the petals will have begun to fall.

The evening portion on the 26th will take place in Amagansett and end at approximately 9PM. The following morning will be an early call: we will meet at 5:30AM in Montauk near Hither Hills State Park.