Shingle Oak - Quercus imbricaria

We have at least eight varieties of oak tree on the property. I think this one, the shingle oak , is the most unusual because it doesn't have the typical oak leaf shape. Click on the picture for a better look.



The books say the wood is easy to split and was once used for roofing shingles, hence the name. Its leaves are always shiny and attractive.

Tenting

Over the last few days I finished dismantling the platform we had used for tenting near the pole barn. On Saturday Sandy and I moved much of it down the hillside close to the existing pond. With three pallets as the base and three 4'X8' sheets on top, I rebuilt the platform and set up the tent.

Here's a view looking from the platform toward the pond.



Though it doesn't look like it from this angle, the tent is right next to one of the paths mowed through the property.

Grapes

Today I helped Sandy with her project of cutting out grape vines. Wild grapes are a serious problem at Greene View Springs. They cover and weigh down trees and shrubs and their seeds are spread by wildlife that eats the grapes.

We cut them off at the ground and then pull them out of the trees. Sometimes the roots are too large to cut with either pruners or lopping shears. Here's a picture of a the base of a huge vine plant that is covering three or four large trees.



The thickest of these is thicker than my forearm. Look carefully at the vine on the left and you can see it has been sawed in two.

Within a day or so we will see the vines browning out in the tops of all these trees.