Joseph Knecht

 The Wood Wide Web In 1995 ecologist Suzanne Simard discovered that trees communicate with one another via a vast underground network of FUNGI .  Recently cruciverbalist and engineer Barbara Lin * has discovered that trees actually have FUN while they're doing this. Apparently they exchange PUNNY homophones to amuse themselves while they carry out their essential work of world-wide photosynthesis.  Their real favorites of course are Stupid Ent Jokes 😀.     To construct this puzzle Barbara simply pressed her ears firmly to the ground and picked up these four themers -- exchanges of tree root straight lines and pun responses ... 17A. Evergreen seedlings?: FIR BABIES .  I announced recently that one of my grandchildren's cats had seven kittens.  I believe some are still available for adoption ... New mom Fizzy and two of her FUR BABIES 27A. Shade tree that's been pruned too severely?: TOPLESS BEECH .  Topless beach voting 46A. Fruit ...

This is Barbara Lin's second visit to the LA Times.  Her first was published on Tuesday , May 5, 2020 and was blogged by the little lady, whose big shoes I'm trying to fill today.  At last count Barbara has also had seven puzzles published  in the New York Times, including one on a Sunday .  We often have fill for individual parts of the body's visual system , but today Barbara treats us to a comprehensive EYE EXAM This puzzle was actually quite easy to solve, but it was a bit of a camera obscura when it came to the theme: no stars , no circles , no explicit reveal , and only a peppering of question marks in a couple of short Down clues: a real AnonymousDNLC delight.  However following the rule that themers are generally the longest fill in the puzzle, we discover the five following words and phrases, which have literal meanings, but also a trailing word that is a component of the ...