Its pretty.....but....

  The fact that Ben Franklin was noted for his brilliance has little impact on me here on the Bayou.  His blunder in landscaping does have a huge impact on the place.  Legend has it that he imported the Tallow Tree from China.  That Tallow Tree that is overrunning the place is supposedly descendents of his trees.  Maybe?  Maybe not.  Who knows?  That tree however is extremely invasive and will take over a place in a heartbeat.  Local horticulturalist have asked people to report if they see a tree and they will come to remove it.  The peels of laughter you hear at this point are me responding to the ridiculousness of their request.  There is no way that they are going to ever remove all of the "Popcorn Trees" that are growing in the woods surrounding the creek that runs behind the Bayou. The place is literally dotted with the trees and little else at this point.  

  When Hurricane Katrina smacked us head-on, she took out nigh on every tree in the creek area. We counted over two hundred large trees felled by the storm.  These trees had taken decades to grow and were wiped out in less than twenty-four hours.  About sixteen hours of the relentless winds and waves pounding us ravaged the land.  With that many trees down in an inaccessible area, there was little hope that the creek bed would ever be the same.  While some hardwoods and pines are trying to make a comeback, it is the quick-growing Tallow Tree that has pushed out all others.  Granted, the trees are not bad looking but since they beget bazillions of little Tallow Trees each year, things are getting pretty bad.  Still, those folks who wish to "remove" these trees are facing a dauntless task and will never succeed.  My property would have to be clear cut....something that I refuse to have done.  An invasive tree seems to be better than no trees at the moment.

  Down by the pier, there is a single Popcorn Tree that has sprung up and grown to quite some size.  It is actually out in the marsh a bit and cannot be reached by shore.  The tree is laden with the "popcorn" or seeds. (The seeds are what give the tree its common name.)  Probably by next spring, I will find thousands of baby Tallow Trees springing up all over the place.  Not good.  Not surprisingly,  there are some herbalists that make fantastic claims about the tree.  The medicinal claim attached to the Chinese Tallow Tree is that the leaves (when processed and made into a balm) can be useful in curing shingles.  Can't say (thankfully) that I have had to experiment with this yet and, hopefully, never will.  However, I am pondering just what use these trees will provide for us.  Firewood..maybe?