The Cherry Tree Dilemma: Mindfulness, Complexity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

  In attachment blossoms fall, in aversion weeds spread. Dogen, Genjo Koan (1233 CE) Smack in the middle of the back yard is a non-native, very short tree that, when I moved in, looked like a dwarf, would-be weeping willow. Scraggly, neglected, it stood just over five feet high, and its branches hung down to the ground all around. It took up a fair amount of space; of course nothing grew in its shade. I did recognize it: a weeping cherry—not a naturally grown specimen of one of the beautiful Japanese varieties, but a “frankentree,” which, as Brian Funk of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has written, “are the flowering cherries on sale at home improvement stores” that “look like mops, or umbrellas, or octopus trees.” They are created when “weeping cherry branches… are grafted onto a straight trunk that was cut off at five feet tall.”  Well yes, exactly. Not only was it ungainly, but: what was the point of its existence, and what good would it do?  I mentally tagged it for rem...

Garlic Mustard Update

Today in the woods I discovered several garlic mustard plants with the telltale holes in the leaves that indicate insect munchers, and several others that appeared to have some sort of fungal disease. Perhaps some sort of shift is beginning, so they'll eventually settle into the ecosystem?

Comments

Diana Studer said…
When I was carefully ripping out Paterson's Curse, I found a tiny caterpillar. Now what, do I leave a few?
Hmmm. What is Paterson's Curse? I'll have to go look that up.

I was just interested to see these signs on the garlic mustard because so far, biologists haven't found any biological controls that would keep it in check. I did leave those particular plants and will probably go back in a couple of days and look at them again.
Anonymous said…
The whole garlic mustard issue is very interesting. If enough people start loving garlic mustard pesto,that could help. Re: Asian carp: noticed an article about a Chicago chef who is serving a ceviche made of that fish, and his customers liked it. :et's hope lots of chefs will follow that lead.
Good job on awareness raising.
M.