I haven't posted for several days, I see. Partly I blame it on the time warp that is Houghton during summer break in the middle of a pandemic. Partly I have also been deep in another Gotthelf novel--more on that at some appropriate time. Partly I have taken advantage of some better weather to do a little work in the yard, cutting out massive quantities of (I think) this plant.
We have a bit of a slope behind our house, not very large, but over the past years it has been gradually giving way to various random things that take root and sprout up. One of the worse offenders looks like the plant pictured here, multiflora rose, an invasive species. When it blooms, it looks kind of like a wild rose, with pretty clusters of white flowers (though it tends not to bloom much in the shade). It is, nevertheless, a genuine plague.
The things pop up everywhere, sending out shoots to form new plants. They are almost impossible to get rid of. They grow like crazy. They shoot up very high and will grow up inside and tangle themselves up with trees and other plants. Because of the thorns, they are a pain to get rid of.
I have cut out various stems down low and then tugged at them with all my might to pull them out of the trees with which they were intertwined. Usually I've been successful. Several of the stems I've removed have turned out, when I finally got them down and laid them out on the ground, to be a good twenty feet long. A real workout!
Here is some info on the plant (assuming I've identified it correctly), including a little video, from the USDA. I have come to think of it as practically a personal enemy.
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