On the Path -- July 12th, 2011

After spending most of the sweltering day inside with the air conditioning, I went for my walk about 8 o'clock. What a difference!

The city mowed the weeds & flowers along the path a few feet back on either side. It spoils the look & feel of the path but it'll grow back.

Dog-Strangling Vine (aka Swallowwort) has its pods now. It's an invasive and is in the Milkweed family. Though it's not actually known for strangling dogs, I've walked through enough of it to believe that it may have happened to a dog or two through history.

It's vines are extremely strong and I remember last year trying to walk through a heavy concentration of it and having it catch me around my ankles & calves. I thought I could just keep walking and force my way through it, but I couldn't. There was just too much of it and it was too strong, it wouldn't break. I had to disentangle my feet and back up and go over or around it.

From the Net...

The vine is similar enough to the common Milkweed that Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on it. Given a choice between the two plants, the butterflies will lay approximately 25% of their eggs on the Dog Strangling Vine. All of the resulting larvae die. 

http://peterboroughgardens.ca/mg_articles/Dog%20Strangling%20Vine%20-%20Gary.htm

The Poison Ivy is at the berry stage. The berries are green now but they'll be white eventually.

A bush with interesting leaves. It's Red Osier Dogwood... Thanks John.

On the way home the moon was directly over the path... a pretty sight.

 - fini -