The Encroaching Forest

It is only May, and already the foliage is taking over. We are going to have amazing quantities of blackberries--this is just one little patch in the front yard along the driveway:

All those white flowers are going to be blackberries (or maybe raspberries too, I forget). There are even more down by the pond (tons, really) and up on the far ridge. I can already anticipate that I'll be spending the summer making jam, and freezing berries for pies and cobblers, etc.

While tromping around for berries, one has to be mindful of the natural habitat. And now, for the educational portion of the show:

My mother-in-law taught me 20+ years ago, when you see Virginia Creeper, look for the poison ivy too. They grow together. The Creeper has 5 leaves, Poison Ivy looks very similar, but with 3 leaves. So that's Creeper on the right and top, Poison Ivy on the left. Interestingly, Anne told me that if you're in the woods and get the Poison Ivy resin on your skin, you can quickly pick the leaves of VA Creeper and rub it on the affected place. She said that it was an antidote. I haven't ever tried it, mostly because I don't want to get into the problem in the first place. As it is, I always wash thoroughly with soap and water when coming in from outside.

Last year I made the mistake of rubbing my face affectionately on the dog's fur (don't ask) and ended up with a poison ivy rash on my face. Lesson learned: Don't kiss the dog, at least not Spring through Autumn. The way she runs through the forest, she picks the oil up on her coat. So I have to wash after touching Echo too.

Although here, she doesn't look like she's going anywhere soon:

I'm not sure what this posture is all about, did she have a headache?

Garden adventures continue around here. I've planted the new raised bed that Bill built, and the beans and peas are doing great:

We can look forward to eating out of the garden instead of spending the big bucks at the grocery in about another month. Hooray!