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Author Message
25 new of 190 responses total.
keesan
response 64 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 08:37 UTC 2003

The nuts are edible.  The fruits cause rashes.  Mango skins also cause rashes.
oval
response 65 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 10:44 UTC 2003

when i'm back from spain i plan on growing a marijuana plant or 2. i think
we can legally grow 12 or something. i have a sun room that they'd thrive in.

poppies are beautiful flowers, i can't believe they've been outlawed. it takes
like 10 pods to get one person high. i mean, c'mon, this ain't the wizard of
oz.

jep
response 66 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 12:32 UTC 2003

My former in-laws used to get annual letters from the county, telling 
them to remove "noxious plants".  They'd have to do it or the county 
would.  I don't know what plants these were.

Maybe they were just talking about mowing the area near the road.  In 
the country, you have to keep the area near the road mowed, or the 
county will charge you for doing it.  (This is so people can see 
around corners at intersections, thus preventing accidents.)

Anyway, it seems from this that there are other plants, beside 
marijuana, which are at least controlled, if not actually illegal, in 
Michigan.  I'm not very familiar with the details, though.
slynne
response 67 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 13:47 UTC 2003

Really Mary? So what would you do to keep your 'non-native to Michigan' 
lawn grasses from getting onto your neighbor's property? Would you get 
rid of your lawn or would you continue to "allow it to thrive"? 

If a neighbor of mine complained about the creeping charlie. I would do 
the borax thing around the perimeter. But, that wont stop any of the 
flowers that have airborn seeds. Also, if the borax thing didnt work, 
they would be out of luck unless some other solution could be worked 
out. If I had a neighbor that had a plant I hated, I might consider 
talking to them about it. I might even offer to do all the work to get 
rid of it and I would offer to pay for a replacement. For instance, I 
wouldnt think it rude if a neighbor came over and told me that they 
really hate my creeping charlie but are willing to replace it with some 
other ground ivy that they find less offensive. I would think it was 
rude if a neighbor came over, called my yard plants "weeds" and then 
demanded that I keep them on my own side of the fence. *shrug*. 

I think that there are probably some good reasons for banning non-
native plantings. Sometimes imported plants start to take over and 
crowd out native plants. I think the world would be a better place if 
people just got rid of their lawns and let their yards go wild. Think 
of all the water that could be saved!
gull
response 68 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 15:41 UTC 2003

Re #66: When we lived out in the country, my dad kept an old beat-up
lawnmower around specifically for mowing along the edge of the road.  He
didn't want to ding up the blade of the good one with all the rocks and
gravel.
mdw
response 69 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 16:03 UTC 2003

Michigan law defines a number of "noxious weeds".  They include poison
ivy, wild carrot, canadian thistle, and various mustards.  Poison ivy is
obvious.  Canadian thistle is also obvious if you've ever stepped on one
with bare feet.  The others are way less obvious; I can't help but
wonder if the people who drafted this law were thinking of ww1 mustard
gas.  In any event, the local weed varieties are harmless.  Wild carrot
is also perfectly harmless, although it is an invasive european import.
There are several other easily confused plants though some of which are
poisonous (but aren't classified as "noxious weeds".)

The state law is no longer funded, so it's extremely unlikely you'd be
prosecuted under that.  Most suburban and urban areas have local
ordinances about lawn care & mowing.  In Ypsi twp, it's basically by
height, and the people who enforce it aren't trained or capable of
recognizing "noxious weeds" in any event.

In michigan, "wild lawns" don't stay lawns for long.  Shrubbery and
trees sprout up pretty fast, and vines even faster.  Basically, if you
*want* a field or open area, you have to mow it at least twice a year,
and anywhere that can't be mowed will turn into a forest.  Even a fence
is vulnerable -- look at the number of trees on property lines.
slynne
response 70 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 16:28 UTC 2003

I am hoping that my lawn will become more forest like. there are some 
young trees back there and some cool bushes that have thorns and purple 
flowers. They look like rose bushes. 
gregb
response 71 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 16:44 UTC 2003

Perhaps a seperate thread on lawn care is in order.
rcurl
response 72 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 16:57 UTC 2003

I know an Ann Arbor resident that maintains a native prairie plant "lawn". 
He has permission to burn it annually, as prairies require.

The real problem with non-native invasives has nothing to do with lawns,
but concerns the survival of ecological diversity of both plants and
animals. Some non-natives take over so completely that ecosystems lose
almost all their native plants and animals, which then upsets the balances
of even the native plants nearby. In the end whole ecosystems approach
monocultures.

An example is Purple Loostrife, which has been invading wetlands, changing
the ecosystems not only for native plants, but also birds and other
wildlife. The solution has been to bring in a beetle found in the native
locations of the plant, which eats it (and, apprently, doesn't eat stuff
you don't want eaten, which has been a problem with some other
introductions of other non-native insects). 

mdw
response 73 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 17:23 UTC 2003

Well, wild carrot has probably been here 400 years, and can be found in
most any meadow in NE USA.  It's probably already done all the damage it
can.  The american squirrel in europe, now, that's a different story.
slynne
response 74 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 18:50 UTC 2003

Well, creeping charlie is a non-native plant but the only site I was 
able to find that said anything about its impact on native plants says 
that it isnt a threat. 

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/herbaceousplants/creepingcharlie.html

rcurl
response 75 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 19:02 UTC 2003

Per that site, I live in a "degraded" place! Bummer! I wish they had said
more about "It is know (sic) to have medicinal properties. Can't beat a
lawn that can cure your whatever. 

keesan
response 76 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jun 30 23:53 UTC 2003

Thorns and purple flowers sounds like it might be spiny locust, which spreads
underground by suckers and is very difficult to get rid of.  Jim had a yardful
of it for a while after the neighbor planted just one near the border.
Locust flowers look like bean flowers, not roses.
slynne
response 77 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 1 02:31 UTC 2003

I dont know what bean flowers look like
keesan
response 78 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 1 07:28 UTC 2003

They are axially symmetric (one side is a mirror image of the other side) and
there is one lower part that sticks out and two side parts.
Rose flowers have five single petals or multiple petals all the same shape
and they tend to smell like roses.
janc
response 79 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 1 18:43 UTC 2003

Nailed some visible-from-the-street house numbers up over the garage.
katie
response 80 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 1 21:43 UTC 2003

I like the dandelion that is growing at the side of Herb David's right now.
mary
response 81 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 00:47 UTC 2003

Yes!  John and I have noticed it too.  It's that odd combination
of huge and perky.
slynne
response 82 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 01:52 UTC 2003

Sometimes I feel inadequate because I cant get dandelions to grow in my 
yard. Oh sure, I get one or two in the spring but that's it!

Anyhow, I cleaned my room including under the bed. 
keesan
response 83 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 02:39 UTC 2003

I think dandelions need sun.  They never grow in my back yard, which is shaded
by my house to the south, the neighbor's house to the west, and two trees (one
at each end).
russ
response 84 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 04:27 UTC 2003

Got a start on a hack to model the monocoque plydome idea.  I
just happened to have a stack of 3x5 cards on the table, and
the drafting gear nearby.
janc
response 85 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 04:55 UTC 2003

Built a space ship out of lego.  Not great, but good enough to impress Arlo.
gregb
response 86 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 15:30 UTC 2003

Launch it.  That'll /really/ impress him.
anderyn
response 87 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 2 16:35 UTC 2003

Have finally gotten the beginning of the troublesome scene in the novel to
go right. 
jaklumen
response 88 of 190: Mark Unseen   Jul 3 00:39 UTC 2003

I helped out in another department at City Hall today-- Utility 
Billing-- in mailing, stuffing envelopes for budget program billing.  
This, I hope, will continue to show my worth to the City and increase 
my chances for getting a job.

I have also begun helping the Cable Communications Coordinator with 
updating the Calendar on CityView, Richland's public access channel.  
I've been using PowerScript to make the updates.  I've worked on them 
before, but I will be working on this endeavor on a weekly basis now. 
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