Trip #374 Saint Ives Street, California-Kirkbride, Pittsburgh took place on November 14, 2019, and was published on December 11, 2019.
The lumpy, bumpy, sticky fruit of the Osage orange tree is considered a “ghost of evolution” because humans, animals, and insects no longer need it for survival. These “monkey balls,” as we often call them, evolved to deal with pre-historic pressures that disappeared long, long ago (imagine roving herds of hungry woolly mammoths and the organisms that existed along their food chain). Despite their limited practical application, to see an Osage orange, boughs heavy with fruit, is a bit like witnessing a Dr. Seuss illustration come to life. When cold weather arrives, these sunny-yellow orbs fall to the ground, roll down hillsides and collect along streets and sidewalks until they decay and return to the earth. Perhaps these bitter fruits still wonder where the hungry mammoths went to and when they might be coming back. They’ve been gone for so very long now…
Field Notes: This big flight near Saint Ives Street is surrounded by construction. It runs perpendicular to Trip #373 and it’s (now) highly visible from the streets below. This area will likely look very different in another year.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
See the Risograph print of this photo and story in the Mis.Steps Shop.
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs, and railings, as well as trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling. If the location has an abundance of illegal dumping and trash, also contact Allegheny Cleanways, letting them know the location and the nature of the garbage. Thank you!!
