How We Water

During the past week, Jim used the water we stored in the Southern Forest last Sunday. Today, both Robbie and Gordon were there to help move more water into the park. Jim brought over 100 gallons of water. We now have one can in the Southern Forest and another north of the Trail of Cedars (where I noted there's some morning glory problem there, too, but not as bad as elsewhere.) Even if it rains this coming week, we'll be able to use this water. Robbie also brought a bicycle pump to inflate the tire on one of the wheelbarrows.

After moving water, we tackled weeds in the Southern Forest. Gary eventually found us.

Gordon, Jim & Robbie

Watering

Today, Jim, Robbie and I showed up. Jim brought two garbage cans and two plastic storage containers that he had filled with water in the bed of his pickup. He and Robbie transported all the water to the Southern Forest on wheelbarrows. I had left a garbage can hidden in the area. The intent was to use it during the fall and winter to collect rain water. But the guys transferred some of the water into this can for future use.

Most of the plants from the fall 2015 work party appear to be doing fine. One gooseberry did not. I'm not sure if it's the location or simply needed more water than provided by rain. There was a fern that wasn't doing well either and that I attributed to the location since all the other ferns we planted last fall appeared healthy.

The area needs weeding again. Many of the plants had morning glory climbing around them. Also, a fallen locust branch was obscuring a twinberry and a snowberry. Jim emailed later to say he and Robbie removed that after I left.

There's an aven in this photo. Before I watered it, I did pull out as much morning glory as I could.

A Fern, Thimbleberry and Yew!

A fern, thimbleberry and yew!

For today, Jim wanted to see if there were other evergreens covered with morning glory. Jim, Gary, Gordon and I started out on Meridian, north of the trail. We only got as far as the south pond. Did not cover as much territory as I thought we might and at the end, Jim and I discussed changing strategy on the morning glory--should just yank out the roots and leave everything to dry out on the trees/shrubs/plants. Because we are spending too much time freeing branches of the morning glory. Jim stayed in the park after I left because he wanted to water young trees.

Tackling Morning Glory (aka bindweed)

When Jim sent out the notice for this morning's session, he said he'd talked with John who had noted a number of evergreens covered with morning glory in the north end of the park. So, Jim, Gordon and I headed out to the Northern Forest. We stayed on the westernmost trail; we did not go all the way to 155th. Gary was elsewhere in the park--Jim ran into him when he went back to the Trail of Cedars to free a western hemlock he'd noticed smothered by morning glory.

Below, you can see Gordon getting started. You'll note a plum tree in the background. It turned out it was growing in a neighbor's yard, had fallen taking down part of a fence, and the top of the tree got tangled in a young cedar in the park. We lopped off some of the plum branches. Also ate some plums. They were small but sweet. Couldn't say the same for the apples off the nearby apple trees!

This is the after photo.

I found a small pine with climbing morning glory and false Solomon's seal intertwined with more morning glory.

Mostly cleared of morning glory!

This is a vine maple with morning glory. Also another false Solomon's seal.

Morning glory mostly gone--for now!

There were actually more severe cases of trees covered in morning glory but I didn't take photos of those.

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In today's Seattle Times, there was an article on drought-stressed trees. Gary often talks about how we still haven't seen the full impact of last year's drought. John had counted 17 conifers he had planted between 2001 and 2012 that had died last summer.

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