TREES AND WHATEVER

Trees have long been the subject of poetry (Frost's "Birches", e.g.) probably because they are such a central and visible part of the landscape and because they have such variety, both by genus and season. This past week autumn showed its intentions of arriving by means of a major rain and wind event. Predictably the trees here at Tangled Oaks responded by shedding many of their branches when confronted by high, gusty winds. The maples typically lose the most branches, followed by the oaks that line the 800-foot driveway. The apple trees, planted close together, usually hang on as do the decorative dogwoods in the front. The Mystery Trees managed to hold on to their branches, unlike in the thunderstorms of two years ago where they were struck by lightning.

Actually these Mystery Trees have been propagating remarkably well, as if to compensate for their apparent fragility. This may be because each fall they produce berries that the local wildlife find quite edible. Rabbits and squirrels in particular feast on them (along with Skittles and Patches, if any have landed on the ground). So after the feast has gone through the normal digestive channels, the results end up on the soil where they dig in and grow. I first noticed this next to the driveway where, jutting out through a Spirea bush, was this TREE! A family of bunnies had chosen unwisely to nest there, and these berries might have been part of their food. Anyhow, the Mystery Tree had imposed itself onto the Spirea's plot of land and dug in. But it was not alone.

Back behind the tree line that divides us from the farmer's corn field, numerous sumac trees grow wild. Their upper branches bear bunches of flower-like sprays that turn red in the autumn; in fact it is hard, from a distance, to tell them apart from apples. They also spread out over the entire lawn; they sit woven into the chain link fence that I had put up for the dogs; they made their way into the orchard and are crowding the front section of apple trees; and finally they took a position in the Spirea bush along with the Mystery Tree. So now when I look outside, my eyes fall on a conglomeration of fauna types vying to exist on the same patch of land. In the orchard, the competition is between the apple trees, the sumac, and a big berry-bearing bush with yellow flowers. This newcomer is unknown, but at the end of August it had become firmly entrenched in the row of apple trees. Even using my apple-picking tool, I had trouble reaching over, around, and behind this new foliage. By sheer persistence I managed to grab off a bag-full of fruit to take to the veterinarian's to share on the dog's last visit. Everyone was very appreciative, possibly because they could see the large red wounds that decorated my arms like tattoos.