All photographs are copyrighted. No content may be used without permission of the artist ©Karen Bullock 2023.

Kudzu, The Most Photographed Vine in the South: In the late afternoon or early morning light, when the kudzu-covered trees & shrubs & abandoned houses are covered in just the right angle of shadow, mythical shapes take form--giants or ghosts standing tall & full & wild. Although not native to the South, this invader, planted by human hands, inspires the imagination so well that it has become a photographic trope. Cliche or not, it is hard for me to resist.

The tangle of vines reminds me of nerves and blood vessels in the human body. My own immune system is my invader. It tries to overtake my brain and spinal cord, damaging my nerves in the process. It is in overdrive like Kudzu which climbs over everything in its path, killing native species as it blocks sunlight. It is a menace.

Strangely, I find hope in its leaves. Hope that nature will outlive our fallen structures & telephone poles, our landfills, & highways, that it will continue to flourish long after we have gone, untamed & climbing skyward. It is known to spread at the rate of a foot an hour, It hints at immortality.

©Karen Bullock 2023

All Photographs, Writing, and Content ©Karen Bullock, 2023, All Rights Reserved. No part of this website (karenbphotos.com) including, but not limited to— photographs, text, logo, etc., may be reproduced, downloaded, re-posted, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, printing, recording, or otherwise; and no photographs, art, or text on this website may be used for AI training, any other kind of AI use, or for derivative art of any kind without the prior written permission of the artist.