I'm really enjoying this discussion!
Re: Cedars in cemeteries. Many deliberate plantings in cemeteries are
evergreens -- cedars, juniper, yucca. The symbolism is of everlasting
life.
Re: poison ivy as an indicator of settlement. I've heard people say the
same of sumac trees -- that they are very good indicators of disturbed
soils.
Megan Springate, MA, RPA
> Thanks everyone for the info! I see the same patterns and can add that
> later farmsteads often have small yellow daffodils that come out really
> early, also "cotton tuffs" that are an early version of spirea I think
> which
> are white or pink flowered bushes, and the obligatory row of "tiger
> lilies"
> in bright orange up the path or drive. I also see a lot of nut and fruit
> trees. Anyone really know why cemeteries seem to always have red cedars?
> Soil conditions? Deliberate planting? LFS
>