Newspaper Page Text
Page 6C
February 21, 2018
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Exporter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Mother nature’s barbed wire is a hardy survivor
Greenbrier can grow 30 feet or more to the tops of trees. Its
thorns are menacing, but it provides food and shelter for
many animals and birds. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
f you spend much
time outside in
Monroe County,
chances are you
have made the acquain
tance of a vine sometimes
called Mother Nature’s
barbed wire. When the
plant’s abundant spikes
snag your clothing or
pierce your
skin, you are
not apt to for
get the encoun
ter.
The native
plant I am
referring to is
also known by
names such
as greenbrier,
smilax, and cat-
brier. All told,
some 14 spe
cies of green-
brier spread
their green,
woody vines across the
Southeast. Although
some species do not dis
play sharp spines, we
are most familiar with
those that, sport enough
of them to earn the nick
name of Nature’s barbed
wire.
Depending on the spe
cies, a vine’s leaves are
often heart-shaped and
can be either evergreen
or deciduous. At this time
of the year it is easy to
spot greenbrier vines
adorned with shiny dark
green leaves; indeed they
bring a touch of color to
a winter landscape domi
nated by gray and grown
colors. If you look closely,
you will notice greenbrier
grows in a wide range
of habitats. You will find
them growing all the way
from moist creek bottoms
to dry uplands. They are
also able to
exist in both
shade and full
sunlight. Much
to the chagrin
of local garden
ers, they have
a propensity to
thrive in our
yards.
Greenbrier
vines emerge
from rhizomes.
I have long
been amazed
how far green
brier vines can
venture out from these
rhizomes. I have seen
them reach the top of
trees 30 or more feet tall.
Yet I still wonder how
long they can get. The
vines are able to attain
dizzying heights with the
aid of tendrils that, extend
from joints spaced along
their vines. Once a ten
dril touches any means of
supports, such as a twig,
it. quickly wraps itself
around it.. Consequently,
as the vine grows sky
ward, it. is held aloft,
by a network of sturdy
anchors.
Those vines that, grow
close to the ground form
seemingly impenetrable
thickets. If you have ven
tured into a greenbrier
thicket., you can attest to
the fact. that, the experi
ence is often a nightmare.
However, these thickets
provide both nesting sites
and escape cover for wild
life ranging from quail
and songbirds to rabbits.
Well more than a cen
tury ago Eatonton native
Joel Chandler Harris
wrote a humorous Uncle
Remus tale that, vividly
illustrates the value of
brier patches to rabbits.
It. is the story of how Brer
Rabbit, tricked Brer Fox
into throwing him into
a briar patch. What, the
wily fox didn’t, realize is
that, the dreaded briar
patch would offer Brer
Rabbit, thorny protection
from the supposedly wily
fox.
Nowadays rabbits are
still using greenbrier
patches to escape foxes as
well as hawks and other
predators. However, they
also provide nesting sites
and escape cover for a
variety of other wildlife
ranging from quail and
songbirds to opossums
and small mammals.
Greenbrier vines are
dioecious meaning they
are either male or female.
Female vines bear 1/4”-
1/2” fruits that, turn
blue, red, or black when
mature. Each fruit, con
tains one to four seeds.
These fruits will often
remain on the vines well
into winter and offer food
for more than 40 song
birds including hermit,
thrushes, sparrows, car
dinals, American robins,
gray catbirds, and mock
ingbirds. They are also
eaten by fish crows, wild
turkeys, common grack-
les, northern flickers and
others. The fruits are also
devoured by opossums
and black bears.
White-tailed deer,
eastern cottontails, and
swamp rabbits will eat.
the greenbrier’s leaves
and vines. Believe it. or
not., beavers will even
feed on the plant’s rhi
zomes.
The greenbrier is also
important, to a fascinat
ing little butterfly known
as a harvester. The small
butterfly is our only car
nivorous butterfly.
The harvester lays its
eggs on greenbrier leaves.
The butterfly does not. do
this because its caterpil
lars feed on the plant’s
leaves. To the contrary,
its caterpillars eat. wooly
aphids that, suck juices
from the leaves.
The food value of the
greenbrier has long been
recognized by humans.
Some folks incorporate
greenbrier in salads.
Others use it. to make
jelly.
Native Americans
utilized greenbrier to
treat, urinary infec
tions and joint, pain. In
the past., the perennial
vine was employed to
treat, gout, and skin dis
eases. Greenbrier tea was
sipped to alleviate joint,
pain.
When we take the time
to learn more about, this
thorny vine, it. is obvi
ous greenbrier does have
some redeeming values.
However, in the minds
of many, greenbrier still
deserves the nickname of
Mother Nature’s barbed
wire.
Terry Johnson is the
retired Program Manager
of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered, Wildlife
Progmm. He has written the
informative column Monroe
Outdoors’for the Reporter
for many years. Email him
at tjwoodduck@bellsouth.
net.
/
Terry W. Johnson
ri
• *■ ■
DOGS
-
MONROE COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL 2018 C-TEAM BASE
BALL TEAM: Pictured from left to right on the front row:
Dawson Niblett, Aric Mock, Eric Snow, Drew Grant, Thomas
Brooks and Leighton Judd. Pictured from left to right on
the back row: Jake Causey, Jarvis Germany, Caden Swancey,
Holton Bell, Logan Hickman, Ryan Jenkins and Brycen
Horne. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
Mary Persons High School
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2018 C-Team Baseball Schedule
DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION
TIME
Feb. 20
Clifton Ridge
Home
4:30 p.m.
Feb. 22
Byron (DH)
Away
4:30 p.m.
Feb. 27
Henderson
Home
5 p.m.
Mar. 1
Gray Station (DH)
Away
4 p.m.
Mar. 6
Upson County
Home
4:30 p.m.
Mar. 9
ACE (D-Team)
Home
5 p.m.
Mar. 12
Lamar County (DH)
Home
4:30 p.m.
Mar. 14
Windsor (D-Team)
Away
5 p.m.
Mar. 15
Clifton Ridge
Away
4:30 p.m.
Mar. 20
Byron (DH)
Home
4:30 p.m.
Mar. 22
Henderson
Away
5 p.m.
Mar. 27
Gray Station (DH)
Home
4:30 p.m.
Mar. 29
Upson County
Away
4:30 p.m.
Apr. 10
1st Round Playoffs
TBA
TBA
Apr. 12
Finals Playoffs
TBA
TBA
MONROE COUNTY MIDDLE
SCHOOL 2018 D-TEAM
BASEBALL TEAM: Pictured
from left to right on the front
row:Tucker Bennett,Tanner
Ivey, Michael Whitfield, Liam
Whitson and LandonTrice.
Pictured from left to right
on th eback row: Christian
Childress, Andrew Hill,
Anthony Clements, Andon
Riley, Christian Smith and
Dylan Garza. (Photo/Richard
Dumas)
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