Deep Roots, 2023-

Deep Roots is a project that began and continues in Lordville, NY, a small community south of Hancock. The town is near my home in Equinunk, PA., where a bridge connects us. The location is close to the source of the upper Delaware River, where East and West Branches meet in Hancock, NY, to form the Delaware River. I am familiar with the shoreline between Hancock and Callicoon, NY, as I have often kayaked down the river. This past summer, the radical changes along the riverbank shocked and informed me. The access area under the bridge had become barely accessible due to the overgrowth of knotweed. The particular genus is called Reynoutria japonica or the Japanese Knotweed. It is native to eastern China and East Asia. The earliest record of Japanese knotweed arriving in North America was in the 1800s. The plant held value in domesticated gardens for its beauty, ornamental qualities, and privacy. Warming temperatures and landscape upheavals caused by construction projects have caused this plant to migrate. Rhizomes can hitch rides on the soles of shoes or the backs of animals. The plant is strong and hearty, with roots stretching twenty feet and bamboo-like stalks reaching ten feet. While its young roots are edible, the plant's rapid growth makes the value of those shoots short-lived. The plan,t considered a national and global invasive species, takes over, blocking sunlight to other plants and disrupting the biodiversity in many regions. Meanwhile, the Japanese Knotweed is doing what a plant does, which is to thrive and exist in a changing world.