Backyard and Beyond

Red tendrils are hairy, so scary.
Well, perhaps not as memorable as “leaves of three, leave it be” as a mnemonic for identifying poison ivy, but there you go. The climbing form of Toxicodendron radicans loves a good tree.
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The USDA’s animal-killing division, named Wildlife Services in a touch of the Orwellian, wants to know what to do about all the supposedly destructive birds in New York State. They’ve had complaints about half the species found here. Their options for “bird damage management” range from doing nothing to killing everything. Here’s the draft report. Unfortunately, the comment period is already closed. Gives a good sense of the bureaucratic mindset, though.

Obviously, we’ve created some problems by introducing species that have become invasive. Management — stewardship would be a better word — is unfortunately necessary in the Anthropocene because the wild is very much in our hands. But look at their list of offending birds… it’s deranged.