lack of water

dying trees

Yellow poplar (Liriodendron) is notorious for shedding many leaves during summer droughts, sycamore (Platanus) sheds some leaves, and buckeye (Aesculus) may shed all of its leaves as drought continues. On the other hand, leaves of dogwood (Cornus) usually wilt and die rather than abscise. If water becomes available later in the growing season, some trees defoliated by drought may produce a second crop of leaves from previously dormant buds. Many times these leaves are stunted.–Dr. Kim D. Coder

These three trees planted in 2009, a swamp white oak and two sycamores in Riverview Park, need water. Trees are like dogs, or children, if you plant two inch caliper ($100) trees, they have to be cared for until their root systems are established.

According to Dr. Coder’s article these juveniles might still have a chance…

Acer saccharinum

robin on her nest during a thunderstorm
We had a severe thunderstorm in Charlottesville last Thursday. It snapped power poles, uprooted trees.
The robin made this nest in a 120 year old silver maple. The dread silver maple.
Outlawed by municipalities around the country. Experts say it is a weak wooded, weedy, infrastructure trashing tree.
Sure enough, this tree lost limbs, is that weak wooded or smart?
Instead of hanging onto all its limbs and blowing over in one beautiful piece,
it dropped a few limbs and lived.
Sister robin protecting those youngsters. Mommas all right.

connectivity

Pointed fence, railroad tracks, legal penalties, kudzu
From Grove to Crispell.
If this house was for sale I imagine its adjacency to UVA would be a selling point. One-hundred and forty feet, door to door.
The railroad removes the adjacency benefit. A 3000 foot walk instead of 140.
The RR crossings closest to this house (Shamrock & R. Brown) are almost a mile apart. Pedestrian? SOL.

National Trails Day


Saturday, June 5, 2010, Charlottesville, VA-Riverview and Darden Towe Parks
Join us to celebrate the trails we have, working to make them better, and learning about future plans for trails of all kinds. There will be fun, food, and volunteer projects for trail people of all ages.
Come take a tour on foot, bike, stroller, or boat of the trails and river between these two wonderful parks. See trail improvements including new bridges, removal of invasive vines from trees, benches for viewing the river, and other work that has recently be done to make your trail experience more pleasant and fun.
ADDITIONAL INFO