Thistle and Brush
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 — Bobolink Trail
Phase 1: S being afflicted of an ailing left foot, our legacy twain set forth in search of a path with the following characteristics: short, flat, and smooth. As it happens, the Bobolink Trail is just such a path. Popular with joggers, cyclists, and dog-walkers, the Bobolink is both gimp-friendly and therapeutic, perfect for those lame and ailing adventurers whose weekly elevation gains are better off postponed, at least for the nonce.
Meanwhile, this lush and fertile month of June has lined the trail with noxious weeds, including patches of poison ivy, tracts of teasel, and thickets of thistle. A sign near the South Boulder Road culvert warned passers-by of an upcoming pesticide application, specifically targeting the thistle and teasel.
Phase 2: Eureka, with burgers, steal-the-glass-beer, and game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals (congratulations to the St. Louis Blues on winning their first Cup).
Phase 3: Trident, understaffed but competent. A sign at the coffee bar noted that “single origin” coffee is available at the bookstore bar; we shall have to try this sometime.
Questions of the Night
What is the difference between thistle and teasel?
Thistle has spiny green leaves and short thorns beneath the flower, whereas teasel has tall woody stalks and long protective bracts around the flower. http://www.botanicalaccuracy.com/2014/01/teasels-tousled-with-thistles.htmlWhat is a water lateral?
It appears to be a branch from a main water line to a consumer of the water; e.g., a lateral from city water supply to a home.What is the creek flowing through the Bobolink Trail area?
South Boulder Creek (which eventually joins Boulder Creek, which joins the St. Vrain, which joins the South Platte flowing into Nebraska).
