Walls of Mordor

yuria:

iPhone：22 (by sakura_chihaya+ (PC is broken))

“When it gets colder, harmful insects at the branches of pine trees will descend to the ground via the trunk. To catch and later destroy these insects, gardeners wrap a straw mat around the trunk, a process known as komo-maki (薦巻き “mat rolling”). The mat is held securely around the trunk with two pieces of straw rope, the upper one tied loosely, and the lower one very tightly. The insects, unable to proceed down the trunk because they cannot pass under the tighter binding, winter in the mat which provides insulating warmth. In early spring, before the insects stir, the mats are removed and burned together with their sluggish occupants. Gardeners generally wrap the trunks of pines around mid to late October, or prior to the first frost, and remove them around the beginning to the middle of February.

Similar to komo-maki (幹巻き) is trunk-wrapping, or miki-maki (幹巻き). Gardeners wrap straw matting around the trunks of certain trees to preserve them from the loss of nutrients and moisture, particularly during the long periods of dry,cold winds. Unexpected autumnal or spring frosts can also damage older or delicate specimens, and severely pruned specimens are vulnerable until they can recover their vigor. Nowadays, jute tape is preferred over straw matting as it is much easier to wrap around intricate or delicate branches. In some areas, miki-maki is carried out throughout the year, especially if a tree is in delicate or ailing health. This practice provides protection from potentially damaging solar radiation. The three-hundred-year-old black pine at Hama-Rikyu-Onshi-Teien is wrapped with over 1,000 meters of jute tape each winter!”

From: http://www.japanesegardensonline.com/Site/The_living_tapestry.html