Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 80
Song Interrupted
TEXT AND ART BY GINNY NEIL
I
80 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
am doing something I have never done before.
And it's all because of a discordant song.
Let me explain. This spring, on a drive to and
through the Shenandoah Valley, I was greeted
by the first notes of spring.
It started with dotted half notes of coltsfoot along
the mountain roads. But, when I reached the valley,
it was quickly overwritten by staccato bursts of
redbud, flowering cherry and crabapple. There were
tremolos of forsythia and allegros of daffodils. Spirea
dropped in occasional pianissimo notes of tender
white blooms.
And then, I crested a hill and was met by a fortissimo
crash of white blossoms. At first I was delighted
because I thought I was seeing serviceberries. But,
then it hit me. It was an invasion of pop-up performers.
They were stunning, but the clamor of those
The tune I remember,
if I could but keep the words.
-Virgil
Bradford pears completely overpowered the delicate
melody of the spring song. And, they were everywhere.
Hawked
by nurseries and planted by city beautification
committees, Bradford pear trees were supposed
to be sterile. But, they aren't. They cross pollinate
with other pear species, and the result is a tree
with huge thorns capable of puncturing tractor tires,
a stinky smell, low food value for native insects and
an incredibly strong will to live. Birds, who love the
fruit, gorge and then plant seeds when they poop. The
seeds spring to life with amazing efficiency.
In every area, where the ground was not mowed
or bush-hogged, I gawped at entire fields of same-age
Bradford pears. Many states have made it illegal to
plant or sell them, but I was dismayed to find that they
are still available online for purchase.
Uninformed
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 4
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 5
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 6
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 7
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 8
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 9
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 47
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 71
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 73
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - 81
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Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2024 - Cover4
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