Eastern Hemlock
The leaves fall upon drying.
A poor Christmas tree.
Poor quality of wood.
Stonelike hardness of the knots
will chip steel blades.
Lumber taken for pulp.
Useful for railroad ties.
Holds spikes exceptionally well.
Bark rich in tannin.
A tea was once made from leaves
and twigs by woodsmen and Indians.
As fuel, the wood throws sparks.
Japanese Honeysuckle
Fruits eaten
by birds and mammals
and the dense cover
is much used,
but generally speaking
it is a weed.
Smooth Blackhaw
Fruits eaten
by foxes,
bobwhites,
and several
songbirds.
Some people
also like them
Bullbrier Greenbrier
Some twigs
may be
without
prickles.
Taken from George A. Petrides, A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs (Houghton Mifflin Marcourt, 1973). Submitted by J. R. Solonche.
Verbatim Poetry 