PAGODA DOGWOOD, WILD ASPARAGUS AND BEING "ON THE BORDER"

YES, WISCONSIN IS A BORDER STATE!

PAGODA DOGWOOD IN THE WOODS...

...PANICLES OF FLOWERS

FERN-LIKE FOLIAGE OF ROADSIDE ASPARAGUS...

...MINUTE FLOWERS

Tuesday, 8;00 AM.  49 degrees F, wind ENE, light.  The sky is overcast and it is very foggy.  The humidity is 98% and the barometer is at last rising, now at 29.91". The day at last turned nice yesterday afternoon, with some beautiful cloud formations over the Apostles and the big lake.
   Bayfield County and Wisconsin's north shore are actually on the border with Canada except that the vastness of Lake Superior makes us forget the fact (although we should be reminded when we see the green and white border patrol trucks roaming the back country).  Minnesota, North Dakota and the northwestern states are all border states.
   What would it be like here if thousands of illegal immigrants, including unaccompanied children and pregnant women, were invading our remote, small communities, and we had to deal with the influx, basically on our own? What would it be like if farmers and orchardists and commercial fishermen and loggers had to worry constantly about their homes, families and property?  What if our churches and schools suddenly became sanctuaries for undocumented, unchecked people of all kinds that we were overwhelmed with?  What if our remote Indian Reservations suddenly became havens for illegals of every stripe, including drug dealers and terrorists?  How would we respond to a federal government that turned a blind eye to the problem, or actually encouraged it?
   If you don't think it could happen here, think again.  If Mexico is a safe haven for such illegal border activity, will Canada be able to stop it if it wells up there?  Things to think about, and reasons to Stand with Texas!
   Pagoda dogwoods, Cornus alternifolia, are blooming in the woods.  The pagoda dogwood is an attractive small tree that has a rather unusual, oriental-like appearance due to its branching structure.  It blooms prettily and has an excellent red-purple fall leaf color.  It is available from nurseries but I have had trouble transplanting it, and it also seems to be susceptible to a fungal branch die-back.  Worth trying in your landscape, but it may be a disappointment.
   Wild asparagus, escaped from gardens, is blooming in roadside ditches.  Long past the edible stage, the fern-like foliage and tiny yellows flowers identify it well and one can mark the spot to collect the edible shoots as they emerge next spring.  The attractive red berries are usually eaten by birds before we see much of them.