Last year it started…. my Buckthorn puller outer...

This year it continues… Jake – my buckthorn digger-upper-puller-outer…  …and does he think it’s fun.  For those of you who aren’t aware, Buckthorn is an invasive plant and needs to be eradicated and wow..  has it taken hold in our woods… but now..  Jake to the rescue!  There are thorns (BuckTHORN) so Jake knows to pull from the root where there are none.   Click here to read more about it.  European Buckthorn

Last fall I first discovered he liked to dig at the roots when I loosened it up with a shovel so I attempted to videotape it.  “Jake really likes to help”     I really need to get someone else to do it as I start the digging and then he pulls it out… doing it all really doesn’t work well!  It seems like there must be a distinct smell in the roots of the buckthorn tree because he does a lot of sniffing before he digs.  Then…  the bigger, the better!  The one foot trees….boring…  The 4-6 foot ones…. a prize to be coveted!  Here he is with the collection of some of the bigger trees. 

Video of Jake pulling it out! 

   

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