The Pruning

Last Wednesday was a yard-work Wednesday with Baldo.  The #1 project was the elm trees growing in the no-man's land between the Candelaria Village wall and the Matthew Meadow wall.  This 15" wide space is no doubt a safe haven for wildlife and gives Fluffy Cat a shady place from which to watch our backyard, but it's also a catchment for elm seeds.  

The feral trees that grow there are now 4" in diameter and can grow 15 feet in a season.  It's nearly the equinox and our sand cherries, not to mention the black pine, are being shaded.  

So armed with loppers, saws, cordage, and ladders, Baldo and I ascended the raised bed and wall to do battle.  The result:  a huge pile of green wood and leaves that filled his truck to overflowing.  

The result is stunning.  Now sunlight can reach the beds along the south side.  Fluffy has been avoiding the drastic change, but she stays nearby despite the upset to her shady roost.  

The 2-story house behind us is now somewhat visible, but the sand cherries and the pine are doing a fine job of shielding that view.  At least we've avoided a large leaf-drop from the elms this fall.  

And continuing the theme of  'trees' today, I note with happiness that the Cottonwood Gallery of the Botanic Garden has at long last reopened.  Our little phenology group of Nature's Notebook has had special permission to continue making observations, but now the public will be able to see this area.  There are still some scars from the construction, but overall this should be a good place to have conversations about climate change.