The mystery circle explained

Long, long ago, Penny and I were mystified by a circle of dead grass that appeared  in a local park.

We did figure eventually that the grass had been sprayed in order to prepare the spot  for an indigenous planting.

And now the planting is flourishing.

It's a pity that they probably used a horrible, dangerous herbicide on the spot originally, but I guess we'll have to hope it hasn't remained in the ground. (But latest science seems to indicate it stays around longer than Monsanto would have us believe.)

mysterious white marks on the grass at Yarra Bend

For years, as we've walked with Penny at Yarra Bend Park (a wonderful dog-friendly place), we have noticed strange white lines on the grass. Usually they are long curved or straight lines. But recently we see arrows also.

Very mysterious. (Well, not all that mysterious if you know the park is right next to NMIT. We assume students are practising some sort of esoteric skill, like the time we saw groups with chain saws up the trees, looking like a flock of huge birds.)

At last, the mystery has been solved. They must be marks to show the horticulture students, or the park rangers, where to spray, so that indigenous plants can be put in.

I dislike the use of herbicides, especially Roundup, but I do realise it's an effective way to restore indigenous plantings.

Once we knew what to look for, it was clear that the grass was indeed dying. (We made sure Penny didn't walk on any place we knew had been sprayed.)

It will be interesting over the next few months to see the new plants grow.