new arrivals

i don’t remember quite so many of these tall pampas-like grasses lining our american highways in my childhood. i understand that many of them are invasive, nonnative, species. here in minnesota, we seem to have them anywhere there is wetland–which means pretty much everywhere. they bob in the wind on their slender 3 meter stems. like flags on delicate flag poles. they will wave to me all winter long, through blizzards and freezing rains, and still be standing proud come spring. i like having them here, these recent immigrants. they add a little color and vibrancy to our otherwise efficient and undistinguishable roadsides. i’m glad they are here.

roadside phragmites (pampas-like grasses)