Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Towpath Sights and Insights


A few recent sights and insights along the DR Canal. A man and his dog, a turtle on a log, (you'd think) a frog,

an east coast greenway.org, of which the towpath is a part, reaching from Maine to Florida,

a wildflower smorgasbord, of climbing hempvine with nothing but itself to climb upon,

a good year for JoePyeWeed,


and a too good year for porcelainberry, which looks like a multi-colored wild grape

and acts like kudzu,

through which towering cutleaf coneflower can still penetrate in places.

Did I forget insights? Well, there's some human manipulation behind all of this nature and nature appreciation. The wildflowers are enabled by a state parks mowing crew that mows the university-owned field just upstream of Harrison Street once every year or two in the dormant season, and keeps the nature trail loop through the field clear.

And then there's the missing insight, of how to keep the porcelainberry from eventually sweeping over that beautiful spot beneath scattered oaks where the JoePyeWeed, ironweed and goldenrod flourish.

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