<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:courier new, courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Yesterday we were near Kitts Hummock in central Delaware to hike on a minimally maintained DNREC trail. The 200 yards of trail to the Delaware Bay had the highest concentration of Chinese Lespedeza I have ever seen. It completely covered the trail with no way through.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">My question is could we have hiked through it with bare legs with no issues? Would it have caused dermatitis or does it have insects using it we need to be careful of?</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I know that Japanese Stiltgrass is just a hassle to walk through. Japanese Barberry harbors ticks and the thorns appear to cause minor skin infections. Multiflora rose thorns tend to leave splinters in the skin. Giant Hogweed and probably related plants cause dermatitis.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I want to be certain with <span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "courier new", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Chinese Lespedeza in case we come across the same scenario when on another trail. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "courier new", courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><span>We will not be returning to where we were yesterday due to the required Conservation pass. Spending $20 for a 3-day pass on unmaintained trails for a 2-hour hike is stupid. If we go down that way again we will be either walking pavement or hiking on our way home in PA at places such as Smiths Bridge Road (where there is an old feldspar quarry).</span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><span><br></span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><span>I do not object to a reasonable day use fee, but $20 for a couple hours on an unmaintained or minimally maintained trail is unacceptable, besides the hassle of getting the pass.</span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><span><br></span></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">We checked for the Spotted Lanternfly on <i>Ailanthus</i> near our car in the Ted Harvey Conservation Area without seeing any. However, we did see <i>Atteva aurea</i> webs and <i>Aculops ailanthii </i>curled leaves.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> Richard Gardner</div></div></body></html>