The overgrown area near the Student Union Building, previously referred to as
'the volunteer recruitment zone' or
'the Arboretum's unintended creche', is slowly being cultivated: we have removed Groundsel shrubs (
Baccharis halimifolia) and Chinese privet (
Ligustrum sinense). This week, we cleared around the
sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), making it possible to read the sign and walk around the trunk.
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The arboretum has only one sycamore on display, so we want to raise this tree's profile. Visitors ought to be able to read the sign and examine the trunk without too much difficulty. Right now, it looks a bit too hazardous; you might come away with some dewberry-scratches on your shins.
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There are numerous vines, little shrubs, and trees growing around the base of the trunk. Unfortunately they must be removed for the health and visibility of the sycamore.
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The base of the trunk is now revealed. Several small trees were removed; elms (Ulmus sp.), oaks (Quercus sp.), and one black cherry (Prunus serotina) were snipped. We do not want any other trees to grow up next to the sycamore trunk, so it was an easy decision to remove these volunteers.
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| We used a lawn mower to cut the grass, making this space more inviting to foot traffic. |
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Several pieces of crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) had to be pulled from the trunk.
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Dewberry (Rubus trivialis) was cleared away from the base of the trunk. This species comprised the bulk of the plant material surrounding the tree.
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Dewberry vines have painful spines. It's best to wear long pants when walking near a dewberry patch, but as the spines get caught on clothes, you still need to watch your step even if dressed defensively.
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A small yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) was growing near the trunk, but not next to it. Yaupons do very well in the soil of the arboretum and they are common volunteers. This little shrub was allowed to stay for now and might very well be added to the catalogue.
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Luckily, there were not any passionflower vines surrounding the sycamore. The abundance of Gulf fritillary butterflies tells us that we ought to refrain from pulling any passionflower―we want the caterpillars to have plenty to eat!
