A walk on the railtrail

Jasper and I went to the Peter Garrett Trail today. It runs along an old rail bed. . .a disturbed area that is once again being overtaken by Maine flora and fauna. Old-growth forests are a whole 'nother thing, of course, but seeing spring happen in any of our forests is a treat. The Honeysuckle is in bloom right now, with it's sweet musky scent. It sort of steals the show along the sides of the trail. But the wild viburnums are also in flower (also scented, though less aggressively) and the morning weather is perfect. Cool enough to keep the biting insects at bay, but warm enough for a dress, cardigan and dog-walking shoes. Jasper, of course, has a nice fur coat which will become a liability as summer warms.

There is a pink variant of honeysuckle as well. These may all be invasive species. . .I'm not sure. It's a funny thing about all of these invasives. So many have simply become part of the forest ecology. They often out-compete native species, running them out of town, but things like Rosa multiflora are here to stay. There is simply no way to rout all of them out. 

 The forest floor was covered in some areas with buttercups, and there are other areas that are swathed in Jewel Weed. Some folks don't like that one, but they aren't very competitive in the garden, and I love that they bloom late in summer, when color is harder to come by. Their orange-spotted yellow leguminous flowers also develop those very fun seedpods that explode when you touch them. Evolution has so many interesting twists and turns.

Buttercups

 

Jewel Weed leaves

Viburnum

The viburnums range from some that look like their cultivated cousins, to these wilder looking species. I saw one today that was tree-like. . .probably 20 feet tall.

More viburnum

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, there is some truly bad news. While I'm somewhat circumspect regarding some invasive species, the Japanese Knotweed is just killing us. Killing all around it. It has taken over areas in the forest, and closes in on trails. In another two weeks the trails below won't be passable. Our area there is small enough that we can come in a whack it back with a bush hog, but it will be a constant job. And I know that in the end, the plant will beat us. It's like kudzu in the south. There is simply no defeating it. 

Japanese Knotweed

The trails group is working in small areas to hold back the onslaught of Asian Bittersweet, which climbs and kills large trees, but again. In the end, it just has the advantage over us. Sad that we have been so foolish with many of these exotic species, but it also might be inevitable in this time of international travel. And fewer and fewer people who understand how natural systems work. 

Blackberries getting ready to sing

So. How about I end on a positive note?  This last image is of blackberry buds. They are getting ready to burst into bloom, and offer up their wild progeny. Blackberries are such vigorous plants that many an agronomist sees them as a weed, rather than a crop. It makes me wonder how they'll hold up against the Knotweed.