October Stories - The Creature in the Corner of the Yard

We have a natural game trail that cuts across the corner of our backyard. Wildlife can squeak under the fence on one side and exit through a hole created by a broken picket on the other side. We have thought about replacing the missing piece, instead, opting to make an “exit” sign and letting the critters keep their shortcut. When our kids were little, we would imagine all of the exotic creatures that would pop in and out of our yard on their way to someplace else. On the other side of this trail, occupying the corner is a gnarled, overgrown, untameable patch of wilderness. I will crawl in there and cut back the branches, clear out the weeds, and lay down some mulch every now and again, but after a few weeks, it is back to looking like Fangorn Forest in Middle Earth - a fraction of the size, yet just as mysterious.

That patch used to be a tiny, landscaped area with a Rose of Sharon bush and a birdhouse that would host the occasional feral cat or hissing possum. Now it has become a dark, shadowy world with twisting vines and the sprawling branches of an unidentified invasive tree that at some point took root -a place that seems dark even in the daytime, where hope and Wiffle balls go to die. We have other areas in our yard we let go a little wild that have become a favorite destination of bees and butterflies. In comparison, these are light and breezy stands of goldenrod and butterfly weed - not at all like the glowering presence in the wild corner. Once November arrives and the leaves and ticks are gone, I will wade in there, take a chainsaw to that tree stump, and reclaim that piece of land. I will enjoy the few months of victory, at least until the rains of spring and warmth of Summer bring the beast back, just as dense and twice as angry.