Walk Like a Cow

Check out the giant thorns on this honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) tree!  These things were up to twelve inches long on some of the trees were were working around this week.  Jamie and I were doing field work in an area that was mostly overgrown, and long over grazed, pasture, and you can really tell what kind of trees and plants cows don't like to eat - plants with defensive weapons. 

I don't know if you can make it out in this picture, but that shaggy, hairy, looking stuff on the trunks of these trees are  those deadly looking multi spiked thorns.  It was amazing how dangerous looking these trees were, and there were thousands of them where we were trying to hike.  This is a little excessive, I think.  Don't get me wrong, I believe in defending yourself, but come on.  I've never seen so many paranoid trees. 

Honey locust trees have long bean pod like fruits with an edible pulp.  The seeds are very hard, and if you want to grow a honey locust, it helps to nick the seed with a knife or a file to help it germinate.  But, the best way to do it is to let the seed pass through the digestive system of a cow (or a deer or a buffalo).  I think it's very cool that a tree can use an animal to not only spread the seed around, but also allow it to have a tough nut which protects it from getting rotten or getting eaten by little mammals that would destroy it.  By making a tasty pod, the cows prep the seed, but don't digest it, and spread it to a new location.  Then all the new tree needs is to have wicked spikes on the trunk to keep the cows from eating it once it sprouts.  How did trees get so smart?!

The other plant we had to tend with while working in this area was wild blackberry brambles.  They were everywhere.  These things also have wicked re-curved thorns that keep cows from munching them, and kept us yelping and bleeding.  I felt like we entered Snow White's forest, the scary part, before all the forest creatures turned out to be friendly.

It didn't take us long to figure out that the best way to travel through this stuff was to stick to the cow paths.  It also helped to use my clip board as a face shield.  Unfortunately, the cows must walk with their heads down, which meant that their trails weren't tall enough, so we had to crouch.  It's hard to walk like a cow!