If you’re feeling a swell of anxiety as we approach the first Tuesday in November, maybe some panicgrass can help. The serene walking trail from Province Lands Road to Hatches Harbor seems designed for a sunny afternoon in late October: no people, no mosquitoes, just gobs and gobs of perfectly backlit Panicum virgatum. The neon yellows and greens and tans of this native graminoid are joined by the electric reds of huckleberry and scrub oak in a tableau so tranquil that one forgets the time altogether. The seeds from a nearby patch of invasive Phragmites float over the trail like snowflakes — a cheerful observation made possible by a regulated nervous system.
