Weeds or Not!

Everyone who gardens or tries to control even a small patch of yard is well acquainted with weeds. Weeds are those plants that show up where you don't want them.  We have a weed here in my neck of the woods that tends to grow at the edge of woods where soil has been disturbed.  Several of these small trees called Arialia spinosa or Devil's Walking Stick emerged shortly after our driveway was cleared and paved over five years ago.  I would have eradicated them except my expatriot blogger who lives in Japan wrote a post on how delicious and rare the spring shoots are from this plant in his country.  People in Japan that live in the country hike way into the forest and keep their little stash of walking sticks secret.  Well, that was enough to make me save this baby forest and it has grown as below.  You always want something that is rare to others even though common to you!  What is up with that?

I have never made it out to harvest the emerging spring shoots and enjoy them as a tempura, but will probably do so someday.  The plant deserves its common name as you can see, there is a price for spring shoots.

Even without edible parts, there are other benefits to this little forest that I saved.  Above it comes forth like candles in the spring as the buds begin to form.  Then it becomes the best place for pollinators of all types as the blossoms open.   

It is a song fest of buzzing and fluttering until the fall when the little flowers become dark berries, food for robins, blue birds and other berry eaters.  If I remember I will post a fall photo or two.