Audrey III

We had some tree work done recently, so we were able to ask the tree guy what the giant vine growing on one of the ash trees in the back was.

Having spent lots of time outside going to (and later working at) summer camps that had poison ivy, I can sometimes identify it if I see it hanging around on the ground like a normal plant.  I just never realized it could also take the form of a giant, tree eating vine.

Now we have to kill it and hopefully find someone willing to remove it.   Because like many monsters, killing it won’t actually prevent it from future attacks.  The dead vines remain poisonous for years.

Clearly it’s not a new vine, so I have no idea why it’s just been merrily growing for years with no one doing anything about it.  At some point in time, I feel like someone might have said “Hey–let’s take care of that monster poison vine with really low hanging branches that anyone could accidentally walk right into.”  Or “Hey, I wonder why I get a terrible rash when I go out to rake leaves in the fall.”  Before we tackle the tree we’ll talk to the neighbors and see if they can shed any light on the whole situation.

But now we know: Leaves of three eat a tree.