Wild Thang

Lady Beetle on Sunflower...welcome aboard!

The Will to Live

Today I left The Plot for a natural wonder that lies just outside The Compound. African Sumac, Rhus lancea, is as opportunistic as today's stock market investor. This signage-sumac escaped the landscaper's Weedeater, at least for the time being. The location, in case you want to visit it, is at the SW corner of Bell Rd and Grand Ave, Surprise, AZ. It is a powerful reminder of the will to live.

For years I experienced a horticulture nightmare of epic proportions. A mother sumac that shades my hot, south side garage sent a seed into the middle of an ocotillo and boy did that seedling take off! It was a pitched battle for at least 5 years, with me dabbing Roundup on fresh-cut surfaces 5 or 6 times a year and sumac sending out whip-like stems at an alarming rate. Sumac finally succumbed but not before the knotty (naughty?) trunk at the base reached 8" in diameter (the ocotillo has gone on to become the specimen plant of the backyard). Years ago, neighbor Ellie lost an ocotillo to a sumac because she didn't understand the force of nature she was dealing with.
In spite of the past, I esteem sumacs greatly.