BEAR POOP AND "THE POLITICIAN WEED"

BUDY AND A SPOTTED KNAPWEED PLANT...

...WITH THISTLE-LIKE FLOWERS 

. BEAR POOP ON OLD MILITARY ROAD THIS MORNING

Tuesday, 8:00 AM.  73 degrees F at the ferry dock, 68 on the back porch. Wind SSW, calm with occasional light gusts.  The sky has a light, high overcast and lots of haze.  The humidity is 84% and the barometer is taking a nosedive, currently at 29.85".  It feels like rain.
   We have had no evidence of bears in the neighborhood this year until now, but there was a big pile of very fresh bear poop on the road across from the house this morning.  Somebody must be leaving their garbage out, or newly baked pies on the window sill to cool.  From a not-too-close examination of the evidence, it looks like our bruin had been gorging himself on acorns.
   We are taking a little business trip, first to a Wisconsin Urban Foresty Council meeting on Wednesday and then on to Hudson, Wisconsin, to look at an environmental issue.  I will try to post a couple of blogs before we get back to Bayfield on Saturday.  Buddy will spend a few days at the veterinarian's kennel in Ashland, as the weather is too hot to leave him in the truck much.  He won't be too happy about it, but that's life.
   Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe, in the Sunflower (Compositae) Family, is a common thistle-like weed that is very aggressive, particularly on poor soils.  It often forms large patches, and once established can be tough to eradicate because it produces soil toxins which prevent other species from competing with it.  Its flowers are actually quite attractive, but it can be a tough competitor with more desirable native vegetation, and it is on the Wisconsin restricted list of invasive plants.  Some people are allergic to it, so wear gloves when handling it. The best way to keep it out of an existing lawn is to properly water and fertilize lawn grasses, and not mow too short (not less than 2.75"). It should be rouged out of the garden on sight.  Maybe it should be called the politician weed.