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I found this in the woods behind my house

  • #21
I can hear those conversations: "Did ya know that the Pastor's wife has pet frogs and carnivorous plants? Better keep the kids away from her She's weird!" or "Don't eat the cookies... they're laced with insects." or "If ya don't behave, I'm going to send you over to the parsonage, where she has plants that can eat you!"
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But they can be won over... eventually. I gave a capensis to the church secretary and now I get to borrow her camera. I showed our Pastor's wife the minibogs a few weeks ago and one hre sons the butterworts and bladderworts. These things must be introduced slowly and in a positive, non-threatening light.
 
  • #22
Yes I agree. Jumping in and telling them they have to preserve this bog and do radical things (to them) for these plants would not work. There is one little girl who loves my VFT and always wants to stick her fingers in the traps, and now she is asking her parents for one. If I had a spare I would just give it to her, but I don't.
 
  • #23
You should see if a local conservation group might step in. Or maybe TNC or something...
 
  • #24
How about letting NASC approach them, either to suggest a burn or to allow a rescue. Left alone, those plants are gonna die out. They are very weak as it is. At least we could save those plants from that specific locale for the future.
 
  • #25
Ok, Kristi. First, you challenge their abilities to be the stewards the Good Lord asked them to be, to care for each other, and the land we live on. We have a responsibility to God, and our children, as well as ourselves, to maintain these plants in their natural condition, or get them out of there where they can be cared for. A positive gotta help'em or get them to those who can, would make better sense. You have to appeal to the Chrisitan mind with Christian ideals! Stewardship is one of the important, top of the list ideals from God! Give that a shot. Now, is this Perry County, or not??
 
  • #26
Sorry, it is close to Perry county, but it is Greene county. We are very near the Perry county line.

Pyro and Plantakiss, that is a better idea than me trying to approach them about these plants. They are very weak looking (the plants, that is). I dug up two of them and brought them home, and the "wings' are wide, meaning not enough sunlight. They definitely could be healthier.

The problem with trying to clear out lumber in this area is that they aren't going to do it. That subject has been approached in the past, and they just aren't going to do it. If you have any paperwork or anything from the NASC about convervation I would be glad to have someone look at it. Burning this particular area might also be a problem since it is so close to the house. This is literally just a very short distance behind my house, practically in my back yard. There is normally not any burning done so close to buildings. I am open to any suggestions about this, however.

We are dealing with very small minded people here. We just had a bad week last week. My son got lost in the woods. He is 7, almost 8 years old. That is how we found these plants, actually, when we were out looking for him. Anyway, when we got back after finding him, the house was on fire. Insurance is covering all costs of repair, but we are having to do the work ourselves since it is impossible to hire workers right now due to hurricane Katrina. Every available contractor is still busy working on hurricane damage. So if we wanted to be able to live here any time soon, we have to do it ourselves. That is fine, my husband was a contractor before he was a preacher. He knows carpentry work, and he wanted to do the work himself anyway. the work that has previously been done in this house is shoddy and poor quality. However, we are getting all kinds of trouble from the people about it, the secretary in particular. They are trying to dictate every thing we do in the house, down to what color to pain the walls, etc. Which is stupid, because we are the ones living here, not them. What it all boils down to is a control issue, and a jealousy issue. We are in a very, very poor area, and I guess me and my husband make a little more money than some of them do here, and they don't want us to have nicer things than they do. We don't make nearly enough money, but they probably don't see it that way. They were sooo jealous when we went on a cruise last summer. There is one church member who has a beach house, and nobody likes them, and it is a jealousy issue. It is like we are dealing with children here. So we are already having trouble from them about fixing the house, it is NOT the time to approach anybody about a patch of "weeds" growing in the woods (that is how they see them). At least not for me to approach them, they are already bad feelings about us wanting to "fix the house up" a little. See, by us doing the work it is saving a lot of money that would be paid as labor to a contractor. I think they are worried that we are taking that extra money for ourselves, which we could do as labor charges, but we are not. We are making the house better. Laying better flooring than was in here before, etc. They are jealous and petty over the whole thing. Only one person told us they were glad nobody was hurt in the fire and that we didn't lose anything important, and that we found our son okay. So like I said before, you have to understand small southern town mindset. Obviously those of you replying back to me about it really do not understand the demographics of this area, or it would never be suggested that I try to approach them about the subject. If I can find a way to do so unintrusively, I will do so. But I am certainly not going to let these plants turn into something that my husband loses his job over. you may think that sounds rediculous, but it could happen.

Okay, off my soapbox now.
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  • #27
If a burn is not feasanble you can always work the same type project as the GA S. montana bogs. Clear cut the smaller scrub and such and "ring" the trees. More labor intensive but still functional. Not nearly as whole out "destruction" either. You'd still need land owner permission though.
 
  • #28
That sounds good. I might take on that project myself. What is ringing the trees? Does that kill them? Is all the leaf litter and twigs and things a problem? I wonder if it is choking out the plants. There really isn't a lot of underbrush in this area. It was clear for the most part, maybe a few little things growing, but it was just shady by the trees was the main thing I noticed.
 
  • #30
I realize the ethical thing to do would be to get the land owners permission to collect the plant, but since that may be tougher than expected.  I know it may be morally wrong, but since the people consider them "weeds" any how, why not just dig up the plants and either grow them yourself or send them to growers willing to grow them for NASC.  The plants have location data.  Since the seeds obviously were spread there by animals or some other situation into an area suitable to start, but after everything else has grown around the plants the area cannot maintain the plants in its current condition, and the land owners are not going to restore the area to suitable conditions, I for one think this is unmitigated circumstances for a covert rescue.  If the land owners think they are "weeds" and refuse to do anything about the are then the "weeds" need to be removed so they can be saved.  I agree with schloaty and like a good fight every now and again.  If you don;t believe me go ask my boss.  The good thing is she knows I am correct about some of my grievances, but she is trying to appease her day shift people.  Thats neither here nor there though.  The fact still remains that those plants need rescuing, and if the land owner isn't going to do what is necessary then someone should.  REMOVE THE PLANTS and get them to someone who can grow them.  

Many are not going to like this, but here goes one of my analogies.  
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 Think of these plants as the people Saddam was neglecting and killing.  The land owner Saddam was not going to do anything about them so someone had to.  OK maybe not the best analogy, but basically along those same lines.  Someone has to take up for those plants since they can't take up for themselves.

BugWeed's idea is a good one too, but to use that one you would have to assume they follow all lines in the bible and assume they interpret it the way you do. There is one line in the Bible that says. "I have given you all the seed baring plants and herbs to use." Yet most of the bible thumpers (My apologies to the religious folks here) still think Marry Jane is bad. Even when their covenanted Bible says that God said all the seed baring plants and herbs were for us to use. That would mean the Sarrs were as well, but most consider them as "weeds".
 
  • #31
Uhgg, Theirs a verse in the bible, that says something about taking things that make youre state of mind change, that is bad. Thats why it is ok to Drink some wine, But not get trashed on any thing.

Any ways we are supposed to fallow the Laws of the world unless they conflict with what god wants. Drugs illegal = conflict with gods law = Bad!

If you find youre verse Ill find mine ok?
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Cheers
 
  • #32
Well, our church is in a tizzy right now, and I know it is because the devil is getting his claws in it. We have had some high attendance, a baptism, a new person get saved, and things started looking up spiritually. So then of course he tries to attack us to ruin all of this for us, like making the people want to fight over how we paint our house! It happens every time. But anyway....

I wouldn't find trying to rescue the plants and ship them to people, and I will take as many as I think I can handle and grow them myself. I can't do it right now though, I have some moss orders I still need to get out, and I have to get my house in order from our fire we had last week. It will be a while before I could get to it. I got two of them the other day and I have them in a pot in my yard in full sun. I tried to dig up as much of their natural soil around the roots as I could.
 
  • #33
That was supposed to read "mind", not find" in my post above this one. I'm tired..
 
  • #34
If you're going to dig them up it will be best to wait until this winter. It will much less stressful for them and more should survive.
 
  • #35
[b said:
Quote[/b] (JB_OrchidGuy @ May 30 2006,5:03)]There is one line in the Bible that says.  "I have given you all the seed baring plants and herbs to use."  Yet most of the bible thumpers (My apologies to the religious folks here) still think Marry Jane is bad.  Even when their covenanted Bible says that God said all the seed baring plants and herbs were for us to use.  That would mean the Sarrs were as well, but most consider them as "weeds".
The sense in which that passage was intended was that of responsible stewardship, as opposed to what our species has a tendency to do - hedonistic abuse.
 
  • #36
I think simply clearing the area of woody overgrowth, such as felling or girdling the trees to within a 100-food radius would allow them to presist in situ
 
  • #37
I'll see what I can do. I will get opposition, even from my husband, if I try to do anything drastic. No one understands. It is not worth him losing his job over, which it could very well come to that if I start trying to get permission from the church to do anything. However, if there is anything that I can do for them, I can, for as long as I live here. There is a huge national forest everywhere around me and I know that they are aware of the plants because they have pics in the ranger station. Whether or not they care about conserving them though, I don't know. I have thought about going to them and seeing if they couldshow me some sites, but I never have done it yet.
 
  • #38
They should and should at least show interest seing that is the poin of national parks. Preservation of Areas Wildlife and natural land scape.

Cheers
 
  • #39
[b said:
Quote[/b] (back2eight @ May 30 2006,4:09)]That sounds good.  I might take on that project myself.  What is ringing the trees?  Does that kill them?  Is all the leaf litter and twigs and things a problem?  I wonder if it is choking out the plants.
"Ringing" is basically taking a macete and cutting a ring around the tree through the bark and down to the actual wood. It does kill the tree, which is the whole point. Everything above the cut dies and the tree drops its leaves/needles. These are then not blocking the light from getting down to the ground.

As for the leaf litter, most looks like pine needles which shouldn't be a huge problem. They'll decompose and acidify the soil.

[b said:
Quote[/b] (Ozzy @ May 30 2006,7:17)]If you're going to dig them up it will be best to wait until this winter. It will much less stressful for them and more should survive.

I have transfered Sarrs at just about every time of year and never run into much shock FWIW
 
  • #40
Hi,

You know, reading all of this is kind of amusing.  Not only did I learn a lot about this supposed "southern-small town mentality, their church, how to apply Christianity in this situation, etc" but how we as CP enthusiasts can place our own value in a habitat.  "Why not just ring the trees and kill them?"  Poor trees.  So many years of growing just to be sacrificed for some etiolated S. alatas that probably shouldn't be there in the first place.

Seriously, maybe I'm just not getting the big picture, but I don't really get what the big deal is.  If the Church doesn't know these plants exist nor care what you do with them, I'd just remove them myself.  As opposed to making a whole fiasco where you drag a national park service or property owner or pastors, or making your husband look bad, etc.  

Just my 2 cents.  I don't advocate everyone who finds plants on their property that they dig them up if they're growing well, but in this particular instance, I don't see what the fuss is about.  Good luck.
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