You might infer from its Latin name, Rhamnus cathartica, that its berries have a laxative effect. Please read further to clarify. Jerry Apps, Wisconsin renowned agricultural and farm expert, informs us that each of those berries contain three to four seeds that remain viable in the soil for up to three years, provoking a growing rampage of the highest order. He also advises that they can grow in full shade or full sun and in any type of soil, people!

They were imported as an ornamental shrub in the mid-1850s, mostly to create hedges, or if you will, they were brought to the United States as landscaping plants. No matter where your thoughts may lie, I am blaming Minnesota for it all.

Naturalists say about this very invasive species: It has no natural enemies—insects, mammals, or diseases that keep them in check. Plus, its presence practically ruins snowy cross-country ski trails.

Three Minnesota extension specialists have written extensively on controlling buckthorn: the who, what, where, when and how! A little late now with their advice, don’t you think? See, what did I tell you about Minnesota?

But lest you have given up all hope, dear reader, this Anglophile suggests the very happy solution of turning the Dreaded Buckthorn into an English Wattle Fence. Simply cut their slender branches and weave them back and forth like a basket. The effect is so charming.

Mandi Isaacson has been published numerous times in the WFOP Calendar. Recently she was added to the Addendum segment for April's Your Daily Poem. Please rejoin Mandi, and fellow poets, post pandemic, for poetry at Evergreen in Oshkosh on the 4th Tuesday of every month except December.