Full admission, there
is no river in this story. Instead, there’s a road.
Years ago, I was riding
on a school bus, and it suddenly dawned on me why the trees arching
over the road created a bit of a thick tunnel. It was because
of the bus I was on.
Well, not just that
particular bus. But every bus and truck and large vehicle that
had driven along the road. School buses tend to average a very
rough ten-and-a-half feet in height. Simple idea is, whenever
one of the trees that extends across the road has a branch filling
in at ten-feet-and-three-inches, that branch gets battered a bit
until it’s back and ten-and-a-half.
There are a few trails
I’ve been walking along recently. They’re actually located in
different states, and they offer a wonderful combination of similar
and yet different experiences.
One was in Rhode Island,
and a section of the trail curved up against some water. It was
an inlet just off of Narragansett Bay, and the sightlines were
incredible.
Another in New York
ran along and into a wooded area of hills. At one of the higher
points of the trail, a small rest area was actually set up as
a scenic overlook.
Depending on where
you live, the availabilities of ocean views or high mountains
is going to differ. No two places are perfectly the same.
Trail for walking
and biking in Rhode Island labels some trees along the routes.
Nice selection of oak, maple and even a few gray birch. Lots of
evergreens mixed in. While walking along a road near my house:
oak, maple, lots of white birch and plenty of evergreens.
Another thing about
walking trails is how the trees fill in nearby and above. Without
the delivery trucks smacking the branches around, things tend
to be a bit thicker along the side of the path and a bit lower
overhead.
I’m thinking about
cutting down a tree-shrub-hedge-bush-thing in my yard. It’s not
a decision I take lightly. I don’t like cutting down trees in
the yard. But this thing is one of the strangest plants you might
find. It’s set up to be nothing but in the way when you mow the
lawn, as in I have no clue why anyone placed it where they did.
Every year since we’ve moved in, when the leaves begin to grow,
it feels like at least five to ten percent more of it stays empty
than the previous year. Now, more than two-thirds of the tree
is just branches.
Friend of mine and
I were having a discussion the other day. In addition to the whatever-bush
that I’m planning to remove, in recent years we’ve lost two other
trees that were growing no leaves but plenty of mushrooms. He
began telling me that he’s having troubles with his ash trees.
Doesn’t think it’s an emerald ash borer, a beetle that’s been
moving steadily deeper into New York. But it is becoming an issue
and he likely needs to remove some of his trees.
If you take a walk
and look around, you might be amazed to see unbelievable number
of pieces that come together to create the immediate surroundings.
I’m not even moving into the deeper waters of how bees pollinate.
Consider just the trees, how they look, and what happens as they
adapt.
When I was growing
up, our yard had three fairly significant trees. A maple in the
back was climbed by virtually every child in the neighborhood.
All three are gone and have been replaced. The ones in the yard
now are filling in and taking on the appearance that seems like
they’ve always been there.
I’ve been considering
planting some blueberry bushes. It’s a tough decision. It’s really
a commitment. Might be a few years before I begin seeing real
results. Thinking about some fruit trees as well.
About the only decision
I have made is that I won’t be planting them near the road, and
I’m going to think about what it will mean when I mow.