Gout Weed Musings

One morning in early spring, some friends and I walked along the river on one of our favorite walks. On the way back we turned away from the river to explore the uphill side of a flood plain* and plunged more deeply into the forest. The woods here were thick with both mature and young trees; some upright others tilted crazily, an outcome of wind and seasonal rains. The trees were so thick that even though they had not yet leafed out we could barely see the houses at the crest of the hill beyond.

It was idyllic.

Then I looked down. There was this plant newly emerging from the thawing earth. It covered the forest floor. It looked oh so familiar.

As we walked along, I noticed that this plant was everywhere. Then, with a sinking heart I recognized it. Gout Weed, Bishop’s Weed, Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria)**. Whatever you call it, once it has entered your life you will work long and hard to extricate it. And, ultimately, you will fail. You will have to keep after it year by year. I know. I have been there.

Gout Weed not only covers the ground, it pushes out the native plants that had formerly thrived there. In short, it will take over.

As a former landscape designer, my frustration soared. Here in this lovely place, this pest of a plant, still sold at too many nurseries, was running rampant. I gnashed my teeth. And ranted long and loud to my companions who hurried on ahead. They had heard it all before.

As I thought about it, my awareness opened in a different direction. How is the behaviour of Gout Weed different from the way in which we of Settler stock have overrun this land?

Our ancestors came to fertile, peaceful lands: flood plains and prairies, valleys and mountains. Indigenous people had inhabited these lands for untold generations living in harmony with the rhythm of nature. Taking what was offered. Taking no more than was needed.

Then the greedy ones came. The entitled ones, the frightened ones, the needy ones. They came with their hopes, unable to see beyond their own wants and needs.

They pushed back those who had lived here for countless generations, the indigenous ones who had lived according to Original Instructions, understanding that they lived in relationship with, rather that in domination over, accepting responsibility towards the living earth.

The colonizers were blind to this reality, turning a paradise into a wasteland. They did it in a handful of generations, leaving those who had lived here since the before-times to patch together the pieces of their shattered way of life.

Recently a sense of responsibility has emerged, thrust upon humanity by the overwhelming evidence that continued growth cannot continue in a finite world.

Some descendants of Settler stock recognized that this land had not always been degraded.

What had gone wrong? The impact of unfettered grasping lies heavy in the heart.

Some looked to the original inhabitants of these lands and wondered if there might be a better way. An older way. A way of returning to balance.

It just might be possible. Maybe.

A few tentative steps were taken. The potential of accountability was broached. Apologies were made. Well, the words were spoken.

They became popular, those words: the Land Acknowledgements.

They are said to be honouring those who had stewarded these lands before the settlers arrived. We endeavoured to learn the names of those first peoples. We spoke words of responsibility. But what do those words mean? Do they foster responsibility? Do they lead to change?

In the classes and rituals that I facilitate we begin with a Land Acknowledgement. The content of these words has expanded as we move more deeply into the implications of acknowledgement.

And we have moved. From the simple naming of those whose land was stolen we have begun to recognise that there is much for us to learn. We listen to the Indigenous peoples who have lived in balance with our shared earth-home for millennium.

Will we continue like the Gout Weed and push the world into greater and greater imbalance?

We don’t know how to get rid of the Gout Weed. We can contain it and, through continued hard work, we can perhaps bring it into balance. This might point the way forward towards reconciliation and integration of all who honour this land.

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* A flood plain is an area where the river periodically rises, generally in spring, and temporarily floods. In this case it brought with it the seeds of this highly invasive plant, scattering them everywhere until they formed a carpet covering the forest floor.

** Here’s the issue. Gout Weed does provide an effective ground cover. It spreads both from seed and by underground runners. The flowers are tallish white umbels that bloom in late June or July and look similar to Queen Anne’s Lace or wild carrot. Each tiny flower that make up the flower head holds uncountable seeds. The underground runners are held at the base of the stem. There can be eight or more coming from any one stem. They are thick (1/4”) and white and eager to set new plants. One of my earliest landscape jobs was to rescue a yard that had been overrun. Clearly, still the subject of nightmares.