No, seriously, what were they thinking?

On an evening walk on the boardwalk on nearby Silver Lake, my mother and I came across this unusual sight:


A crew had obviously gone through and cut back the brush along the side of the trail, which they do every year to keep the trail clear. But this? Really? I can honestly say that I've never seen anyone shear a sword fern before. I wish I could still say that truthfully. If they were going to do that, they might as well have cut them all the way to the ground or, just maybe, left them alone.

Thank whoever or whatever you wish that these fronds will be replaced by new ones next year. Hopefully the volunteer or seasonal laborer responsible for this will find a more suitable outlet for their geometric compulsion. My eyes hurt just looking at it.