The Strangler
With all the exploring I've been doing over the months of December and January, I have discovered several places that I know I'll revisit while others I will not. Whether there were trails or not, once I had permission from the property owners, I ventured in regardless of trail markers and or the condition of the land.
However, one walk proved to be exhausting. Heading in the direction of the river, I walked through several inches of muck for the mile in even before getting to the railroad tracks that run along the river. Getting up to the tracks was rough because of the steepness. I crawled on my hands and knees because I was afraid I would fall backwards. Yet while going up I never thought about getting down. When I saw what was before me, the first thing that came to mind was "make stairs". Descending at an angle made my trek much less steep and marking my spot once on flat ground, I could use it for my return trip.
After all that work, once I made it down to the river, I really wasn't impressed with the surroundings so I headed back after snapping a few shots both up and down river. With no markers to follow, I tried to use recognizable fallen trees as a guide. Just as I was getting nervous about finding my way out, I was rather glad to see a familiar site....the muck!
Of course, when I got the edge of the road where the property owner had given me permission to enter, I also spotted "the strangler."
Not good, Oriental Bittersweet...the silent strangler of so many beautiful trees and shrubs. Here it is choking what could be a healthy, vibrant cedar.
This highly invasive vine, while beautiful with it's vibrant berries in the Winter months, is truly a nuisance.
The Pres and I have cut any and all vines and eradicated it entirely from our property.
Mother Nature gives us so much yet asks for nothing in return. Help. Give something back to her by destroying invasives such as this.
However, one walk proved to be exhausting. Heading in the direction of the river, I walked through several inches of muck for the mile in even before getting to the railroad tracks that run along the river. Getting up to the tracks was rough because of the steepness. I crawled on my hands and knees because I was afraid I would fall backwards. Yet while going up I never thought about getting down. When I saw what was before me, the first thing that came to mind was "make stairs". Descending at an angle made my trek much less steep and marking my spot once on flat ground, I could use it for my return trip.
After all that work, once I made it down to the river, I really wasn't impressed with the surroundings so I headed back after snapping a few shots both up and down river. With no markers to follow, I tried to use recognizable fallen trees as a guide. Just as I was getting nervous about finding my way out, I was rather glad to see a familiar site....the muck!
Of course, when I got the edge of the road where the property owner had given me permission to enter, I also spotted "the strangler."
Not good, Oriental Bittersweet...the silent strangler of so many beautiful trees and shrubs. Here it is choking what could be a healthy, vibrant cedar.
This highly invasive vine, while beautiful with it's vibrant berries in the Winter months, is truly a nuisance.
The Pres and I have cut any and all vines and eradicated it entirely from our property.
Mother Nature gives us so much yet asks for nothing in return. Help. Give something back to her by destroying invasives such as this.
seeing, saying, and sharing...
The Strangler
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