I think I may have bought the plant because of the name, Jethro Tull, a name that’s been stuck in the trivia section of my head forever. It’s likely I learned of the real Jethro Tull in a history class when I was in school — long enough ago to call that period of my life historical. He was the 17th-century agriculturalist who perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1700 that modernized farming of the day. Or maybe it was the 60s rock band by that name which I probably listened to and added to the trivia pile. They’re still around, and ironically, they have a song called “Living in the Past.” For whatever reason it’s so named, the more current Jethro Tull is a cultivated variety of coreopsis that is now growing nicely in my garden.

Coreopsis, common name tickseed, is a native North American plant. There are more than 70 species and one thing they all have in common is their daisylike flowers that are a source of nectar and pollen for all manner of insects. I don’t exactly have great swaths of this plant that would form an ecological niche for specific insects, but the few varieties I do have dotted around help keep the garden buzzing.

Most coreopsis are shades of yellow, but cultivars can have reddish-purple tones, even pink. I’ve had Coreopsis verticillata ‘Route 66’ for ages. It’s a bushy plant full of flowers that have a burgundy centre spilling out onto yellow petals. This one is vigorous and hardy, not surprising as it’s said to have been discovered growing (or hitching a ride) near Route 66 in Lucinda, Pa. I also have ‘Zagreb’, just as impressive, but with daisylike yellow flowers in a shorter, mounding form, and another called ‘Mercury Rising.’ It’s also lush and bushy with flowers the colour of a nice Merlot with an orange button in the centre.

Somewhere in the garden, there might be a Coreopsis rosea ‘American Dream’. It’s a pink variety and unlike other species of Coreopsis, it isn’t as tolerant of drought as it needs damp soil to thrive. I’m afraid I might not have given that one what it needed; however, the others are doing just fine.

Coreopsis verticillata are also known as thread-leaved coreopsis because of the delicate, finely textured foliage, attractive enough in its own right. They’re one of the longest flowering perennials, easy to grow and a good choice for the beginner. Plant them in a sunny spot, give them a light trim in midsummer and they’ll produce even more flowers.

Because they’re loved by bees and butterflies alike, and so easy, every garden should have coreopsis. Don’t be concerned about the common name tickseed. The plant does not attract ticks, nor does it repel them. It relates to the botanical name, Coreopsis, which comes from the Greek words koris meaning bug and opsis, referring to the shape of the seed which resembles a bug or tick.

As for ‘Jethro Tull,’ it was a natural cross between varieties from two other species, C. grandiflora, or large-flowered tickseed found in Eastern Canada, and C. auriculata, or mouse-ear coreopsis. Auriculatus refers to earlike lobes at the base of each leaf — I must check Jethro’s leaves for any signs of Mickey. Unlike the threadleaf varieties, the leaves are noticeably broader. It’s the flowers that are especially appealing. About the size of a toonie, they’re brilliant golden yellow with fluted petals that look like tiny ice-cream cones.

I must go sit in the garden with one while I catch up with an old rock band.

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EA live-streamed its EA Play Live event yesterday evening with a raft of interesting trailers, reveals, gameplay footage, and other news. You can catch up on the full live stream embedded below, and later in the article I will give you times to skip to, to see the part of the show about a particular game.

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One of the biggest announcement s/ surprises of the show was kept until last (video: 1hr 27mins 30s). EA heralded the return to Ishimura, with the announcement of a Dead Space remake. It says Motive is remaking this survival sci-fi horror classic and rebuilding it from the ground up for modern PC and console architectures.

Dead Space (remake) will “feature completely rebuilt assets and all-new technology, using the powerful Frostbite engine to craft a terrifyingly immersive experience,” says EA. However, it promises not to change any of the experience – it will just become more real and immersive with the modern graphics.

EA hasn’t set a date for the release of Dead Space (remake) but it has confirmed it is only coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Moving along to one of the other big announcements of the night – EA has unveiled Battlefield Portal, an all-new, community-driven platform that will give players the ability to discover, create and share unexpected battles (video: 1hr 15mins 50s). Think of it as something akin to a creator mode for Battlefield 2042 – for which it will be the second major expansion.

Users can make a Battlefield of their own thanks to the tools provided with this release. The maps and assets you can play with aren’t limited to Battlefield 2042, either. EA has included modern reworked maps and assets from the likes of Battlefield 1942, Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 3, too. Mix up these assets for fun, and share them with others. Some of the fever dreams suggested by EA include; a whole army from World War II vs. a squad of 2042 Specialists, Tank vs. Snipers, or knives vs defibrillators (as shown in the video trailer).

Another game showcased at EA Play Live was the new Grid Legends game from Codemasters (video: 52mins 15s). This title mixes racing action with an in-depth ‘classic underdog’ story filmed in XR and delivered in documentary style, starring award-winning British actor, Ncuti Gatwa. You may shrug at that statement, but making the game even more story-like, EA says that Grid Legends “includes improved driver-personality AI that makes opponents behave even more like human racers”.

We don’t have a precise date for the Grid Legends release, only that it is coming in 2022. It will be released for Xbox Series X/S,  Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4,and PC.

Other titles that EA showcased last night include:

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Assuming you saw the Dead Space remake news on EA Motive, you know that now is a great time to take a peek at those long-unused Dead Space games you have lying around. Or, if you’ve never played any Dead Space game before, now might be a great time to jump in on the whole series, courtesy of either EA Play or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. These subscription services are serving up a healthy dose of the most deadly off-world games this side of ALIEN.

Dead Space 1, Dead Space 2, and Dead Space 3 appear on both Xbox and PC, but you’ll need to be aware of which service or services you need to subscribe to in order to gain access to these games for “free.” Like the rest of the games in the EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate systems, you’ll get access to the games so long as you’re still a subscriber – but given the situation we’re in at the moment, waiting for the new Dead Space anyway, that’ll work just fine!

If you have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, there’s a pretty good chance you also have an (included) EA Play subscription. With that, you’ll have access to Dead Space 1, 2, and 3, and Ignition on your Xbox and your PC right now. You’ll need the EA Desktop software (with Origin) with EA Play – or you might’ve purchased your EA Play subscription through Steam. If you’re on Xbox, you’ll want to begin with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and go from there!

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Dead Space was originally released in the year 2008 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows. Dead Space: Extraction (proper) isn’t part of this deal this week, but it was the second game in the series, so to speak, followed by Dead Space Ignition. Dead Space Ignition was released for Xbox 360 and PS3, and Dead Space 2 was released for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Dead Space 3 was the otherwise most recent game in the series, with a release date of 2013 and platforms Windows, PS3, and Xbox 360.

It’s high time a new Dead Space title appeared with brand new content for a platform beyond the twice-updated PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Before we get there, though, the creators apparently need to release their Dead Space remake for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

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