Irene hit Cape Cod on Sunday August 28. It was mainly a wind event, taking with it branches and leaves of the white oak and black locust trees. The latter (Robinia pseudoacacia) were decimated, in fact. The trees look like bare pencils with some remnants of the compound leaves. One specimen – my favorite because it constituted one of the posts of my hammock, went down altogether later in the morning and hit the powerlines in a display of smoke and lightning. Well, that is the story told by my wife at least, as I was in the shower at the time.
Although black locust trees are not quite native to Cape Cod, they can be seen everywhere. They have been planted places far and wide outside of the mountainous regions of the southeastern US. Although the trees can be targeted by woodborers, they tend to grow quickly and straight. This tree in the pea family produces fragrant racemes of milky white flowers in the Spring which can be smelled 40 feet below.
Now I am pondering what tree to plant next. Or is this too premature, especially since the trunk and rootball of this downed black locust are still amidst my destroyed fence?
The native plants did fairly well during the storm. Some of the taller swamp milkweed and cardinal flowers broke, but all in all I am happy with how the woodland garden fared.
I would have posted more of my thoughts on, and impressions of Irene, were it not for losing power for 10 hours. To add insult to injury, internet access was just restored today.
All in all, we were bruised but not broken. Irene was much more devastating elsewhere.
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