No, seriously, what were they thinking?
On an evening walk on the boardwalk on nearby Silver Lake, my mother and I came across this unusual sight:
A crew had obviously gone through and cut back the brush along the side of the trail, which they do every year to keep the trail clear. But this? Really? I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone shear a sword fern before. I wish I could still say that truthfully. If they were going to do that, they might as well have cut them all the way to the ground or, just maybe, left them alone.
Thank whoever or whatever you wish that these fronds will be replaced by new ones next year. Hopefully the volunteer or seasonal laborer responsible for this will find a more suitable outlet for their geometric compulsion. My eyes hurt just looking at it.
A crew had obviously gone through and cut back the brush along the side of the trail, which they do every year to keep the trail clear. But this? Really? I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone shear a sword fern before. I wish I could still say that truthfully. If they were going to do that, they might as well have cut them all the way to the ground or, just maybe, left them alone.
Thank whoever or whatever you wish that these fronds will be replaced by new ones next year. Hopefully the volunteer or seasonal laborer responsible for this will find a more suitable outlet for their geometric compulsion. My eyes hurt just looking at it.
Quick glance of the first photo made my heart thump -- I thought they were cycads!
ReplyDeleteSadly, there's yet to be a cycad discovered that grows reliably in western WA or OR, unless you have a very warm microclimate. But we do have quite a few ferns that give a similar appearance, and one of them is the ubiquitous western sword fern.
DeleteThinking? I think not.
ReplyDeleteHa! No, I don't think there was much thinking going on there, either.
ReplyDeleteEven if they used itinerant workers with no experience to do the cutting, you'd think someone would have provided basic instructions before setting them to their task.
ReplyDeleteThat assumes someone knew the basic instructions.
DeleteI'm at a loss for words.
ReplyDeleteIt hurt my eyes!
DeleteFern Topiary?
ReplyDeleteApparently so.
DeleteWell, at least they didn't buzz them into perfect cubes.
ReplyDeleteHere a lot of the mow-blow people cut ornamental grasses into shaving-brush shapes, instead of cutting them to the ground in late winter as new growth begins, which is what they should do. Drives me crazy.
Urgh. That would drive me crazy, too! I've seen Ceanothus cut into cubes. That was bad enough.
Delete