Living this close to the passaic river has been an experience that I would not trade for anything. Six years ago we left the swamps of Florida for the swamps of New Jersey. I love this house on the river, the 4 acre yard that came with it is as much a part of the river as it is not.
We have dedicated about two average sized lots as our yard. The rest is fairly wild. There are swampy areas where the water never really dries up, and the stretch along the bank that makes beautiful long walks possible. There is a lot of animal activity here in my yard, from deer to turkey to fox and racoon. They are free to be there safe, and we enjoy seeing them. They like to stay next to the river more often than not following it to that place they go, and our german sheperd Silver makes sure they stay out of the yard part as much as possible. She is funny that way, and our two mini-dachsands follow her lead. The road is a dirt road, a private drive, it is part of the protected wetlands as well.
When the river rises and washes over its banks, the animals move closer to the house. They change their paths and are able to survive by their mobility. Not all living things are so lucky. The trees are huge, taller than our house which is 3 stories, and some have fallen during the recent floodings. Their roots ripped from the ground, tons of dirt displaced. Enough firewood for an entire season if I had a fireplace, but within weeks of its demise it is full of wildlife making it their new homes. So we leave it as it is, since it fell in the wild part of the land
Ninety-nine percent of the plants are deciduous, winter is rather blah looking here. I decided to plant 4 Holly trees. Two males and two females for the color and for the benefit of the wildlife. I put them further down in the yard near my birdfeeders and birdhouses, away from the house so there is a comfort zone for the birds and animals. They were small but they thrived and grew a few inches that spring and summer. When winter hit the first snow covered them and they looked like little mounds under all that frozen water. My holly’s were getting their first experience underwater.
Our first flood ended up being a 100 year flood, and the waters surrounded our house in the end. My poor Holly’s were underwater, completely covered. We saw 3 story trees take a dive to the left and the right of us during this time, my thoughts were that they were a lost cause, my poor little holly trees. It took a month or more for the water to fully receed and for the yard to stop feeling like a sponge. It was a full week that the four holly’s were underwater, two had been planted closer to the house and were the first to breath air, while the other two stayed underwater another week. I was amazed when they started sprouting new leaves a short time later, but I noticed that two of them struggled a little more. This has happened 3 times in the last 4 years. This is not the norm and yet I accept this risk by living here.
The amount of dirt that is stuck to their leaves has fought washing off from this years flood, but has not stopped their progress. Though the two have had their growth retarded they continue to grow anyway in hopes of not being submerged again. They have reached the 12 inch mark while the other two have reached two and three feet putting them way above the underwater risk. Why don’t I move them you wonder, they belong where they are and they have fought very hard to stay there.
This is unusual, they even called one the 114 year flood. We evacuated for that one since it was overtaking the road itself.
My house is made for such emergencies, I am beginning to think God made Holly’s the same way.
