Day 124 - a Year by the Sea

May 4, 2007 by OrientSee.

It’s not possible to wander through a wild place and not see how tough life is. Plants live and die and leave their bodies and parts laying about. Sometimes it’s leaves or faded flowers. Sometimes it’s a dead branch or trunk. Out by MarshHenge, there’s a sumac thicket that looks very grim. The trunks are gray and the bark is peeling off. What with high tides and salt intrusion, I assumed that they were the victims of cruel weather and time. I was looking for birds when I noticed that far from being dead, the sumacs had all sprouted buds. They were very much alive. Staghorn Sumac is even tougher than I thought. You have to remember that this is a plant that spreads its own herbicide in order to suppress any competition. One ornery customer. Apparently even salt tides aren’t a bother. This is one tough plant. With my replacement hip, I am envious of this kind of sturdiness.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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