The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist (1803-1882)
The only time I can really relax is up a tree or somewhere outside – Tom Felton, English actor, singer, musician (1987- )
It’s been a strange summer with all the rain and high winds. Limbs have fallen but nothing was harmed. Just a lot of gathering sticks, limbs, debris and hauling it off to the burn pile. Somehow the flowers have fared well, none were damaged. Wilhelmina sat with me on the front porch in her favorite chair and me in mine. It’s a bit humid causing my hair to frizz while her hair does not. Butterflies are fluttering around the flowers enjoying a sip of nectar. Wilhelmina gets up slowly with a big stretch and creeps over near the door mat. I don’t see anything, but she does. She’s sitting close watching and listening. She likes watching lizards when their tails pop off.
While she’s watching lizards, I turn to notice our trees between me and the lake. Once there was no lake and no trees. Some 40 plus years ago all this acreage was farm land. In time trees took over. Some have been planted while others were grown without planting. Seeds can be dispersed by wind, water, animals, or gravity. If the soil is moist and there’s some sunshine the seeds will germinate.
Some trees send out roots that will produce new trees. Occasionally a tree branch will make contact with the ground, then they’ll root and grow. I can identify a few like oak trees, pines, bodock, wild black cherry, ash, cypress, maple, sweetgum, poplar, beech, dogwood, redbud, sycamore, cedar, and more.
As a child there was a beautiful tree just over our lot line in the subdivision. The tree had beautiful pink swaying blooms I thought were wonderful and asked mom if we could have one. She declined my request saying they were very messy. It didn’t seem fair. The neighbor boy had the tree in his yard, and he cared nothing for pink blooms nor climbing trees as I would have.
Much to my surprise in the past few weeks traveling along highway 82 from Columbus to Starkville, the pink bloom tree we now know as Mimosa is thriving. The mimosa also has other names across the globe: Persian silk tree, silk tree, silky acacia, or pink silk tree. The scientific name is Albizia julibrissin.
A Google search reports the mimosa adapts to various soils and can thrive in disturbed areas like roadsides and riverbanks. Once these mimosa trees are established, they can become dense and can crowd out native vegetation, reducing biodiversity. The mimosa lifespan is about 20 years. There are some good things about the mimosa besides the foliage and the blooms, they grow fast, the blooms give off a sweet fragrance. They are drought tolerant, thriving in dry conditions. They will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It all sounds lovely. Notice them while you pass by east or west on Highway 82 between Columbus and Starkville. Their days are numbered.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
