Sunday, August 27, 2006

A Creepy Crawly Question

Here's a creepy story, followed by a creepy question.  I hope one of us J-landers is also a gardener and an expert n identifying vines.

Here at the old folks home, someone planted a few ivy sprouts between the walk and the wall.  They must have been thinking, "Wouldn't a little green growth look nice on that wall?"

It would, and it did.  And time passes.  The ivy climbs the wall, covers it, spreads to the walk, keeps a team of gardners busy trimming it away from the walk,  it climbs the tree, covers the trunk, climbs out of sight everywhere.

Now, from over the wall comes another vine, bright green, and begins creeping over the creeping ivy.  It sends its shoots over, under, around and through the ivy.

Now my creepy question is: what the HECK is this new creeper?  Look at those leaves. Can you identify it?  What grows on the ivy that grows on the wall and the trees?

To me they look like grape leaves.  I would be nice to have a vinyard in our courtyard.  Since it is rooted in the neighbors yard, can we harvest the grapes? We already pick the lemons that hang over the wall.

Help, please, you Arborists, what have we creeping over our creeping ivy?

 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

3 leaves its fine 5 leaves leave it alone was the way I was taught on poison ivy!
Have not a clue?

Anonymous said...

got mix up chuck leaves of three let it be

Anonymous said...

DO NOT HAVE THE FOGGIEST NOTION, CHUCK...GET SOMEONE TO ASK THE NEIGHBOR FROM WHENCE IT COMES!!! LOL
CARLENE

Anonymous said...

Yup.  Looks like wild grape.  I eat the grapes that grow wild in my yard, but only after the first frost.  Before frost, they're too sour.     You can help yourself to anything that's on your side of the fence.  (Hmm.  You might have to put them in the freezer for a fake frosting, though, to sweeten them up.  Or make jelly with them.)

~~Silk

Anonymous said...

At first I thought grape as well, then climbing (or creeping) geranium.
Maybe it is just another strain of ivy...but wait...it could be a tree over there sending ground roots out.

At least it probably isn't "kud..." something...they have in the south that takes over EVERYTHING!

If they are grapes leaves, it will be very clear, very soon!
Kate

Anonymous said...

Just working from a photo is frustrating. Very well may be a grape cultivar (in which case the neighbor planted it in retaliation for the ivy... heheheh) but another, more sinister thought comes to mind.

Does the tendril have the typical wolf grape curlicue exposed "roots" which allow it to hold onto walls and the like? Or are there much longer, grasping tendrils with very fine, spiky hairs on the main stem? In that case, it may well be the dread Zuchini! Run for your lives.

Oh, and shoot the neighbor, the bastard!