Backland & Buckthorn

By and by Rosslyn’s backland and buckthorn backstory has made way for a new narrative: fewer invasive scrub trees choke out native trees, making way for a burgeoning wildlife sanctuary and an inviting patchwork of open meadows and healthy woodlands perfect for meandering, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.

Nancie Battaglia’s latest round of photographs — picturesque winter wonderland scenes captured while cross-country skiing Rosslyn’s 60+ acres — triggered all sorts of nostalgia for our early days when I was just beginning to imagine what it’d be like to transform these feral fields (overgrown with Buckthorne, honeysuckle, ash and elm trees, and LOTS of poison ivy) into lush meadows and healthy forests.

These early images offer a reminder of what the area west of the carriage, barn and icehouse looked like not too many years ago. As I understand it, these fields were open until the 50s or maybe even a little bit later. But neglect led to pioneer species repopulating, and altering the habitat.

Before blundering into Rosslyn’s back country, let’s clarify what I’m referring to when I say “backland”.

backland (ˈbækˌlænd )

1.  another name for back country

2.  undeveloped land behind a developed property

(Source: Collins English Dictionary)

As an outdoorsman, the term back country for me connotes bigger Wilder spaces. I think of back country skiing, back country hiking and camping, backcountry cycling, etc. When I use the term back country, I’m referring to an experience further removed from a village like Essex and from the comforts of home.

But backland suits me in the sense of “undeveloped land behind a developed property”. That is precisely what we have managed to assemble piecemeal over our 19 years as Rosslyn’s custodians. We’ve acquired and conjoined several contiguous tracts of land to ensure that Rosslyn’s grounds are as monumental and as well preserved as her architectural heritage.

I’ll save a deeper dive into how and why we rehabilitated the land for another day, another gallery, another wayward reflection. For now I’ll allow the juxtaposition of photographs —same site separated by seventeen years — to commemorate the metamorphosis of this remarkably rural inholding only a minute’s walk from the heart of Essex.

Before concluding, it’s incumbent upon me to introduce you to buckthorn, if you’re not already familiar. It’s not the only invasive flora we contend with along the Adirondack Coast, but it is one of the most disagreeable. Yes, poison ivy is a formidable foe. But buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is at least as aggressive; grows much larger; chokes out other shrubs and trees; is undesirable for lumber or firewood; smells objectionable when cut and chipped; and is endowed with large, super-sharp spines that puncture and rip the flesh. Yes, birds do consume the berries during winter, but the fruit, leaves, and (I believe) even the wood is toxic to people and pets.  needless to say, the buckthorn is an unwelcome invader. 

In the second set of four photographs, Ms. Battaglia deftly captures thr sun-soaked joy of Rosslyn’s near meadows, gardens, and orchard years as they are experienced today. Long gone the backland and buckthorn days of yesteryear!