Ungrateful people are sometimes dishonest thieves !
Don't take anyone to your spots. There ungrateful people.
Hey Digger70pa, I share your pain !
Years ago I was living near a 200 acre public park and liked to walk in the woods looking for wild edibles. I was a big fan of Euell Gibbons at the time and read his books, as well as other publications on the subject.
I became interested in wild Ginseng, not to eat, just to observe it's growth in the Spring, Summer and Fall. So I began searching for it up and down the hills of this park and eventually found several patches at different locations. I made notes and sketches of the plants at different stages of it's growth....it was a pleasant pastime for several years until my wife and I moved away.
Well, one day I had just returned from checking one of my patches at this park and was returning to my car when I walked up to a young couple on the trail. We said hello and talked a few minutes. Me and my big mouth asked if they had ever seen wild Ginseng. They said no and seemed very interested. So I explained to them that this plant is on the endangered species list in Ohio and it is against the law to harvest....just look and leave in other words.
So I took them to one of my patches and then we parted and went our separate ways.
The next day I had a funny feeling and decided to check the patch. Sure enough, to my horror they had pulled every plant, cut off the roots and left the stems and leaves scattered all over the ground ! From that time on I kept my mouth shut about my secret Ginseng patches !
ToddB64
ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY !