Invasive Species: the saga continues

 by Beth Sullivan

Multi-flora rose offers some protection
for nesters and berries for food, but can
take over a field in no time.

Over the last years I have written about invasive species, plant, animal and insect.  It is a challenge to actually define the term as there are many species that have been brought to our habitats that are not truly native or were not here before European contact.   Many species of animals have been domesticated such as cows, sheep, horses, pets. Most don’t become an invasive problem but could, like feral cats. Some species, like the Eastern Cottontail, have been introduced  purposefully and now have taken over a niche that was occupied by their native relative the New England Cottontail.  They have become naturalized, a nuisance, but not many people would refer to them as invasive.

Invasive insects have become a bigger problem. As products from foreign countries come to our shores, they contain plant material or insects and their eggs associated with the wood or packing material.  Once these insects are released into a new environment, they do not have native predators to control them.  Often, they find sources of abundant food and appropriate habitat.   Then they go to town, unimpeded and often leave a path of destruction. We have witnessed this most recently with gypsy moths, hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, Asian long-horned beetles and now spotted lanternfly.  As climate warms, many of these pests are not affected by winter temperatures anymore, so they survive. In most cases there are few, if any, natural insect controls. I don’t think many of our native birds are fully adapted to eat invasive insects, but we know cuckoos eat gypsy moths and woodpeckers will go into wood for various beetle larvae.   As a result of invasive insects, we are losing our hemlocks, ash trees and many of our oak trees.

Porcelain berry, a beauty of a beast
that will cover and smother entire
trees and walls.

Invasive plants form another real threat.  People have been intrigued by plants and their uses, probably forever!  Moving plants around for food, medicine and decoration is an ongoing activity.  Centuries ago, people, and plants, didn’t move quite as far or as quickly as they can now.   Settlers introduced grasses for their livestock that have become integrated into farm fields. Food plants were introduced to give us all greater variety.  But most of these kinds of plants have “better manners”.  Most don’t spread widely or aggressively.  In the last century, ecologists have noted new plants becoming monocultures in some areas, taking over habitats, killing native species with various methods, and ultimately enticing native wildlife to make use of them and spread their seeds far and wide.   Some of these plants are beautiful,  and the uninformed are also responsible for their spread.  Some plants were deemed useful in landscaping and no one really knew how aggressively they would spread beyond their intended use.

Oriental bittersweet twist 
their way up and then 
strangle the supporting tree.

So, here we are, as stewards for Avalonia, hoping to maintain habitats that are appropriate for all kinds of wildlife and reflect, as closely as possible, native species in their natural habitats. Sadly, as we look closely and learn more, it is hard to see the native forest…for all the invasive trees and shrubs and vines in the way!  There are several places where I feel the landscape would be completely barren, if we were able to remove all the invasive plants.  On some preserves, we have worked tirelessly to remove invasive shrubs such as multiflora rose and autumn olive and bush honeysuckle. However the minute the area is opened to sun, new invasives take their place.  We got bittersweet, reed canary grass and porcelain berry. When those were tackled, swallowwort, bindweed and stilt grass have began their destructive march.

A habitat overrun by invasives may offer some minimal shelter for wildlife, but the food value is often very poor. In some cases, nothing eats an invasive plant. In the worst case, our native and endangered Monarchs are fooled into laying their eggs on black swallowwort but when the caterpillars emerge, they cannot eat that plant, and they die.

Stilt grass has taken over the banks
of the Pequotsepos Brook and will 
spread downstream.

Stilt grass is relatively new here. However, in the more southern/mid Atlantic states, the grass has spread so rapidly, and destructively, that it carpets entire forests and parks, preventing any native plants, flowers, or tree seedlings, from germinating.  The seeds originally came in packing material that protected Japanese ceramics.  It is now wreaking havoc in our area. 

Avalonia stewards are determined to learn the best way to control this grass, and other invasive species. We are conducting workshops, and compiling data/fact sheets for our stewards to use. These, we hope will soon be available on our website.   Right now, Japanese stilt grass is being tracked into preserves by hikers and bikers.  It has spread along the roadsides and vehicles carry seeds to parking lots and other preserves. Landscape equipment can carry and spread seed.  This is the time to identify it and begin to wage war.   As an annual grass, it relies on self-seeding, so removal now, before the seeds are set, is imperative. It is easy to pull.  If seeds are present, already, it should be bagged and not put into compost.   It can even be “weedwhacked”  down close to the ground at this time of year, to inhibit the seeds. The plants will die.  But sadly, seeds from previous years are already in the seed bank and can last up to five years.  Too bad we didn’t start, didn’t know, years ago!

There is a lot to learn. Identification is the first step.  Then learning about the best ways to manage or treat infestations will take time and thought.  We, as an organization are working on finding the right balance. 

This is a great resource:   Good luck in your own home areas.

Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group:

https://cipwg.uconn.edu

If you find swallowwort, at least remove the 
pods to prevent seeding. 

Autumn Olive berries make great jam, but there
are just too many of them!

Stilt grass is not too hard to identify,
once you know it.

Walking in the wet woods

By Beth Sullivan

It is spring, and we all know about April showers…but these downpours! They are making life a little difficult for some of us, but excellent for others. The drought is over; the water table is high; amphibians are very happy.

Some projects need to be delayed due to high water and very muddy conditions. The Hoffman Forest restoration project is still on hold until conditions can dry out more. Mud is terrible on heavy machinery. There are plans to do trail work and bridge repair on several preserves. Our second work party on Pequotsepos Brook was delayed, due to more down pours and flooding. Paffard Woods trails are also due for maintenance and bridge rebuilding, but with water so high it is nearly impossible. However, a walk in the spring wet woods is quite wonderful. So we put aside the projects and just enjoy the season as it is.

Avalonia preserves many beautiful wetlands which are productive and critical habitats. Many protect drinking water supplies. Wetlands also protect numerous species of special concern. In the not too distant past, wetlands were allowed to be filled and developed. Now they are protected and cherished.

Skunk cabbage flowers have been siting inconspicuously for months

Some projects need to wait for the water to subside.

 

In Paffard Woods

On a recent walk through Paffard Woods, we had time to enjoy this lovely area with rocks and ridges and a central beautiful brook. Generations ago the brook was named Stony Brook and the water flowed freely from farther north in town, all the way to Quanaduck Cove and into the Stonington Harbor. We have some old maps that show the passage of the waters. Then a dam was built to create what is known as Sylvia’s Pond. The main flow over the dam took a more westward route, and kept the name Stony Brook. It ultimately ends up in Stonington Harbor too, but in a different area. A smaller outflow follows the old stream bed and is mostly referred to as Sylvia’s Pond Brook. This is the lovely waterway flowing through Paffard Woods Preserve.

The wetlands in here are pretty typical for this area. They green up earliest in the spring. For months the skunk cabbage flowers have been inconspicuously present close to the ground. Those of us who know and love the plant, search for it every early spring. Now the flowers are dwarfed by their very conspicuous big green leaves that spread throughout the wetlands. Alongside them are the false hellebore plants, looking a bit like short corn stalks. Later, those that are in sunnier areas will have interesting flowers. My favorites are the marsh marigolds, or cowslips, that are glowing bright yellow right now. Along-side them are lovely and delicate purple violets. Mother Nature knew about complementary colors putting those two together.

We are also very excited to see several large areas covered with the speckled leaves of the trout lily, also called dog-toothed violet. These are very ephemeral wildflowers, their bloom doesn’t last long, and even their leaves die back after a few months. These and many other woodland wildflowers take advantage of the open canopy to enjoy the sunshine before the trees themselves leaf out. Spicebush is a shrub that is also taking advantage of the early spring sun, to create a lacey haze of soft yellow flowers at a higher level off the ground.

In this old map, Stony Brook runs its original course, before Sylvia's Pond was created. (Map of unknown providence.)

The best spring combination- marsh marigolds, purple violets, and big green skunk cabbage leaves.

Early Invasives

The only sobering fact about observing these woodlands now, is that it is obvious that the invasive plants are the very first to leaf out, green up and take over. It is their successful strategy for bullying their way to take over space in an area. Here in Paffard woods, the greenery now is deceiving. Much of the mass of delicate foliage is actually invasive Japanese Barberry. This plant is terrible: impossible to walk through, impossible to manage, and a known habitat for ticks.

Enjoy a walk along a trail in the wild, wet woodlands. Look for the delicate flowers; look for the hardy ones too. But stay out of the barberry. As we have all heard before: please take only photos and do not pick the flowers. That’s what a conservation mission is all about: the next generation of people and flowers.

The fleeting beauty of a trout lily.

Vernal wetlands are filled, and the yellow haze is created by the spicebush in bloom.

All the green in this photo is foliage of Japanese Barberry.

False Hellebore flowers are often overlooked but are quite pretty.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise indicated.

Planning with Natives: a Snowy Day Tonic

By Beth Sullivan

As we sit and await yet another snow event, I can’t help but wonder if the groundhogs were wrong. The best antidote to a snowy day is a trip to the mailbox to discover some seed or plant catalog full of colorful and enticing entries, bound to warm one’s soul, and warm up the credit card.

A while ago I began to switch my own gardening choices to more native plants. Not always, but more often now than when I first began to beautify the barren landscape we found when we first moved here. My yard and gardens are pretty full, and now I am looking to downsize a little, make things easier. However, I have become involved with landscape restoration on larger scales for Avalonia. We have had a number of projects over the last many years, where we were often getting rid of invasives and then re-planting.

Choose local native flowers for their amazing colors.

Native plants can truly be more beautiful than a cultivated garden.

Clearing out invasives

At Dodge Paddock, the effort is ongoing. After the Phragmites were mostly eradicated ( they are so persistent), we replanted much of the areas with plugs and seeds of native Spartina marsh grasses. In just a few seasons, those grasses have behaved like they are supposed to in their home habitat: they have grown and spread and colonized all the appropriate areas, re-creating a normal and more healthy salt marsh. In doing so, it is attracting far more wildlife, of all kinds, to the area. We were told that Mother Nature would accomplish this on her own, but with funding and energy, it sure was gratifying to give her a hand and a head start.

At the Knox Preserve, we cleared out the southeast corner that was a tangle of an entirely non-native, invasive mess. Granted, it served as some habitat for animals and birds, but the quality was not there. It has been proven that a bird may be very happy eating a berry of a non-native or ornamental plant, but the quality nutrients are not nearly the same. This can pose a real problem when birds expend a lot of energy foraging and not getting the nutrients and calories they need. It is much the same with bees and pollinators. They may be less attracted to non-native flowers and therefore need to fly farther and longer to find their food sources. If they choose to indulge in a non-native nectar source, it may suffice in the short term, but once again, the quality of the nutrients is not the same.

Birds, bees and native plants evolved together. They rely on Nature’s time clock to hatch and feed young and find food according to the stimuli of the seasons-temperature and daylight hours. Non-native plants do not always follow the same timetables.

At Dodge Paddock native marsh plants have established diversity and wildlife flourishes. 

Native viburnum berries are for more nutritious for birds. 

Pollinators survive better when native plants abound.

A true native environment

We are beginning to plan for the Hoffman Evergreen Preserve project. We know that once the heavy work is completed, there will be areas in need of restoration. We also know we will need to give Nature a hand again. Leaving areas open to sun after disturbance is a big open-arm welcome for invasive plants to establish. They are always the bullies of the plant world and will out-compete the natives in every aspect. We need to fill that void quickly. Already we are looking at our options: native grasses, herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees that we can use to replace and restore what has been removed. It is essential that we find true native resources to do so. In a home garden or a smaller landscape garden, it is OK to use occasional ornamental plant. There are also many wonderful native plants that have been developed by plants-people, to be more floriferous or often prettier than the true natives. These are called cultivars and often have names following the species in the label. These are good choices for the home gardener working on establishing basic native gardens, but even these pose problems when it comes to longer term stability in a larger landscape. For Hoffman, we are looking for true natives, the kinds that have grown here always. They will be pollinated by native pollinators and their seeds will be true to their species. It will be the first steps to restoring a forest that will last for generations.

So on a snowy day, I am not only looking at seed catalogs of luscious vegetables and amazing flowers. I am learning more about our own native plants, trying to find where they can be purchased, and think ahead to a bigger garden landscape. A whole forest.

Take a walk on the real wild side. Plan your gardens with natives.

Porcelain berries may be beautiful, but they are not a valuable food source for birds.

Porcelain berry vines invade and smother whatever is in their way.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

You can find out more about native plants and pollinators at these websites:

https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

https://pollinatorgardens.org/

https://xerces.org/

http://www.newenglandwild.org/

https://www.ct-botanical-society.org/

Colorful, but not from around here

By Beth Sullivan

During this time of year, the scenery changes, seemingly minute by minute. Light changes: the angle of the sun creates shadows and details. Color changes; grasses go to warm browns and golds, meadows show off aster purples, goldenrods and Joe Pye weed magentas.

There are other colors showing up in hedgerows and shrub lands and along roadsides. This is the season for berries. Throughout the spring and summer we enjoyed the flowers, some showy, some discrete. Some are fragrant and others not at all. But now the great variety of berries, the fruits, creates a special show.

Take a ride along a back country road, or even along the highway, and it is impossible not to notice the bounty of berries. We have dozens of native shrubs and bushes that have evolved to provide the vital foods needed by small mammals and birds. Ripening over a succession of weeks and even months through fall and winter, they provide a food source for birds when insects are long gone. Migratory song birds will rely on shrub-lands full of cover and food as they stop after a long night of flight to rest and feast and refuel.

But not all berries are created equal

Over the decades shrubs were imported and planted as ornamentals. Multiflora Rose created instant hedgerows and fragrant white flowers in spring. Those flowers turned into abundant fruits, rose hips, that were eaten by many species of birds. Seeds were dispersed in droppings and now the rose has become an invader, an aggressive spreader that is quick to colonize fields and roadsides. Even though it does provide food and cover, it will out-compete other native plants in our landscape.

Multiflora Rose

Autumn Olive was planted deliberately along our highways to create visual buffers, and also to be a quick cover to prevent erosion. Now that shrub dominates the roadsides. Red berries are abundant now and robins and thrushes are quick to find them. At this time of year we can witness great flocks of starlings, along the highways, swirling and circling as they descend into the medians and roadside edges to feast on the berries and further disperse the seeds.

Autumn Olive

We all enjoy the colors of autumn decorations, but beware of using the non-native and invasive Oriental Bittersweet. It is another truly lovely berry, but a menace when its seeds are spread. The resulting vines climb and twist their way up trees and over native shrubs, strangling and adding their weight and causing death to the plant that supports it.

Oriental Bittersweet

Oriental Bittersweet vine

Colorful but invasive 

One of the most outstanding plants for colorful berries is likely the very worst invader: Porcelain berry. A decade or so ago, it was a sought after nursery plant, a climbing vine with most unusual berries. They start creamy white, then to pale green, then light teal, deeper aqua, sky blue and then to purple when ripe. Porcelain berry vine is a vigorous grower, adding inches, if not feet, almost overnight. It covers everything in its path. Obstructing light, smothering plants beneath, it forms a dense monoculture allowing no diversity and changing the landscape and altering valuable habitat.

Porcelain berry smothering a ceder tree.

The colorful Porcelain berry.

Walk through the Moore Woodlands in Groton, Knox Preserve or Knox Family Farm in Stonington, Pine Swamp in Ledyard, Preston Nature Preserve and many other Avalonia Land Conservancy properties. Notice the berries. Take the time to learn the non-natives and notice the beastly effects they have on our landscape and avoid them in your own. Opt for natives instead and the birds will be happier you did.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.
This post originaly appeared October 26, 2015.

Natives, aliens, and invaders

By Beth Sullivan

The actual growing season is coming to an end. Plants are beginning to store their reserves for next year, and use their last bits of energy for seed production, ensuring a future generation.

We have different stewardship chores at this time of year, different management strategies to maintain the preserves as ideal (or close to it) habitats for native wildlife. As we think of our fall work, we are assessing the problems of non-natives and invasives-planning the best way to eradicate or keep them in control, and do so in a way that is safe, but also efficient.

Hard to resist the beauty of the beast- Porcelainberry

With invasives gone, beautiful wildflowers can re-establish

Non-native is not always invasive

Non-native, in itself, is fine. Aren't most of us more or less non-native? Many of our decorative shrubs and flowers and fruits and vegetables are not native to our area, but we welcome them into our gardens and they have the courtesy to stay in check. Elsewhere, however, some non -natives have chosen to go crazy and become invasive to the point of overwhelming our native flora and degrading habitat. It leaves us with some hard management questions. When we manage a preserve for ideal habitat and promotion of native species, both plant and animal, we need to decide how much invasion to tolerate, what the effect is on the habitat, and how to deal with it. The use of herbicides continues to be a sticky issue. I don’t think there is any one of us who enjoys using chemicals of any kind, but when faced with the daunting prospect of tons of bio-mass needing to be removed or controlled, sometimes it becomes necessary. When we have had to resort to the use of a chemical treatment, we do so using the best professional guidance. The right treatment for the right plant in the right area. We consult with DEEP and USFWS among others. Professionals are studying the effect of certain treatments on regrowth, seed banks, root regeneration, and species diversity and also investigating how long a chemical remains active in the soil.

At Dodge Paddock it was absolutely necessary to eradicate the Phragmites. After two years we have a handle on the management, yet they persist, and we will as well. In the meantime restoration has begun. If native plants can be encouraged to recolonize, they may be able to fend off invaders.

Phragmites choked the wetland in 2012.

In 2015 the area is regrowing with native plants and invites more wildlife. Photo by Jeff Callahan.

At Knox Preserve we have spent hundreds of hours clearing walls and removing aggressively invasive vines and shrubs. The habitat had been badly degraded. At this time of year, as plants start sending their sap back to the roots, it is the best time to use a targeted spray on the leaves of invasives. It will be transported directly to the roots, kill the plant, and the chemical itself will degrade , usually well before the next growing season. Again, not an easy decision. But one that needs to be made. Each season we see great improvement. But we cannot let our guard down.

Invasive Porcelainberry took over walls and shrubs.

We reclaimed the walls and natives offer natural beauty.

Start the battle at home

When we garden in our home plots it is always easier to pull a weed, keeping an invasion in check before it becomes overwhelming. It pays to know your plants, know the invasives and understand the best way to control them. Think before you purchase certain plants that may be beautiful but invasive and still on the market: Purple Loosestrife, “Burning Bush” Winged Euonymous, Barberry, Porcelain-berry. Autumn Olive, Multiflora Rose and Oriental Bittersweet were once favored ornamentals that we now fight. If you have these plants in your yard, if you cannot eradicate them, think about pulling off seeds and pods to prevent their spread by birds and wind.

If you find Swallowwort,  remove the pods.

An area of Swallowwart properly treated.

We are in the season for Fall planting; choose wisely, think native.

You can learn more about invasive plants at the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan, unless otherwise indicated.

This post originally appeared September 28, 2015

Small steps in a hot summer

by Beth Sullivan

As the summer season ramps up, some things slow down.

It’s getting too hot to have pre-planned big work parties on the preserves, yet it is a time when maintenance is needed. We are truly grateful for our volunteers with bigger equipment that can get some of the bigger trails mowed and maintained. But smaller efforts really add up too.

Clip and snip as you walk and it will be easier for the person who follows.

Evening walk with a purpose

It is a great time of year for morning or evening walks. The air is fresher, still cool enough to get some exercise, and the lighting is beautiful. A quiet walk can also be productive if you slip a pair of clippers into your pocket or don a pair of light gloves.

Invasive plants and vines are growing rapidly right now. Seemingly before our eyes, they reach out to obstruct the trails or grab at you with thorns. A quick, well aimed snip as you walk by can make all the difference for the person who comes after you.

Certain troublesome weeds like Garlic Mustard and Wild Radish are beginning their flowering and seed setting, and they have spread widely during the last months. The good thing is that these plants pull up easily. When I find either of these, or others I know, growing in invasive clusters, I love yanking them out and tossing them aside before they have a chance to set seed for next year. Every little bit helps.

As pretty as it looks, the little yellow flowers of Wild Radish will create abundant seeds and spread. It's okay to pull them up.

These invasive weeds are helped out by the defoliation occurring in our woodlands. While the large Oaks and other forest trees are suffering from leaf loss due to caterpillar infestations, there is more sunlight reaching the forest floor. Invasives are often the first and quickest to take advantage of the new sunny conditions and burst into flower and seed production. If we lose trees due to another year of stress, the openings in the forest will be taken over by these invasive plants whose seedlings got a quick start. Pull them now while you can.

Defoliation allows sunlight to reach the understory. 

That sunlight allows invasive weed seeds to grow in masses. Pull them up.

Another way you can help in the woods is to note when vines are beginning to overtake a tree. I recently witnessed a huge crash as the trunk of a tall straight old oak was snapped and crown dragged to the ground by the weight of vines. Invasives like Bittersweet will overtop a tree and the sheer volume of foliage adds a huge burden. This episode happened after a rain and the added water weight was too much to bear. As you walk in your own woods, or along a trail and you see Bittersweet making its ascent, pull out those handy clippers and a simple snip of the leading vine will kill off the remaining plant and possibly save the tree it has overtaken.

Many types of vines will over-top and eventually overwhelm trees. Snip them early.

The huge weight of invasive bittersweet took down a mighty old tree.

Gypsy Moths on the wing

I have also been appalled to see large dark clusters of the Gypsy Moth cocoons on tree trunks and undersides of branches throughout the woodlands. Many Gypsy moth caterpillars died before pupating and that was encouraging, but the overwhelming numbers of the ones that survived does not bode well for next year. I have taken my garden hose with a hard stream and aimed at washing off the cocoon masses I cannot reach with a stick. A power washer can reach even farther. With care, you can dislodge and destroy a large number of these cocoon masses, but you have to do it soon. The moths we have been seeing fluttering around at all hours of the day are the rust colored male Gypsy moths, already emerging first. The heavier white females will come out later and stay close to their cocoon masses on the tree trunks and lay their eggs. Be watchful and take action. Get rid of cocoons you may find on houses, sheds, woodpiles and trees where you can reach them. Be ready to sweep at and kill the female moths that cannot fly before they lay eggs. And keep a watchful eye out, and a stick in hand, to scrape away egg masses when you see them.

Look for dark masses of cocoons and remove them.

Stewardship can be simple small steps on an easy walk, on a pretty trail. But every little bit can help. And it feels good too.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

This posting originally appeared on July 11, 2016.

The Invaders Among Us!

By Beth Sullivan

This has been a spectacular year for plants. The wet spring encouraged lush, vigorous growth. It would seem that all things are rejoicing at the end of the drought and adding life giving extra foliage to every branch and stem. We are also learning that most plants benefit from the rising levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which also encourages plants to photosynthesize more, adding more growth. I guess that is a good way to try and balance the CO2. However, we are also being told that vines, in particular, seem to respond most robustly to these growing conditions. Sadly, it appears that the non-natives are more efficient even still. It seems that right in front of our eyes, no time lapse needed, invasive vines are beginning to dominate: the woods, the trails, structures, native plants, and even each other. One native also enjoying the growth spurt is Poison Ivy, which seems to be the happiest of growers. It seems to be thriving better, growing larger and also seems to be more irritating.

Poison Ivy is a native that is behaving aggressively under ideal growing conditions.

Take a walk on one of several of our most beloved preserves, the ones with variable habitats, with fields, and open sunny patches along the trails and beautiful stone walls. These offer the most extensive look at how the invasives have altered the landscape. The Knox Preserve is a best (or worst) case example.

Walking down the trails along the field, and into the shrub land area, and along the shore, the variety of invasives is educational and daunting. Vines can be woody and persistent, growing bigger each year, such as Oriental Bittersweet which can entangle and strangle, and the monster Porcelain Berry that covers and smothers entire trees.

Oriental Bittersweet vines twist their way up and then strangle the supporting tree.

Porcelain Berry is a beauty of a beast that will cover and smother entire trees and walls.

Another invasive vine that has become a true problem for us is Black Swallowwort. The vines are delicate in appearance; they do not survive the winter. But underground their roots form a very dense, impenetrable mass. They are impossible to pull out successfully, and once established they form huge colonies, and other plants cannot get a foothold into the ground where the roots take over everything. The pods, which are visible now, look like slim, hanging milkweed pods. It is the similarity to milkweed that makes this plant especially loathsome. Monarch butterflies are somehow attracted to this plant and will deposit their eggs on the leaves. However their caterpillars cannot survive on them. Monarchs are having enough trouble in their life-cycles; they don’t need an added villain decimating their numbers.

If you find Swallowwort, at least remove the pods to prevent seeding

Other invasives are woody shrubs, like Multiflora Rose, Winged Euonymus (Burning bush), Japanese Barberry and Honeysuckle, or small trees like Glossy Buckthorn and Autumn Olive. Each of these plants might seem to offer some positives for wildlife: Multiflora Rose provides nesting places and habitat. Honeysuckle and Buckthorn offer appealing berries. Once again, there are hidden dangers. Birds rely on native berries for their nutrients for all aspects of growth and development. In a recent study, it was found that birds who took a greater proportion of their diet from non-native berries may get filled up, but the nutrients are not adequate to fill their essential needs-like “fast food” for birds. Birds that ate too many Honeysuckle berries had poorer feather development, poorer colors, and those colors act as attractants to females, as indicators of good health and vigor.

These are just a few. There is Japanese Knot weed, Spotted Knapweed, Mugwort and large Thistles. There are invasive grasses like Japanese Stilt Grass and Reed Canary Grass that take over and ruin grassland habitats. And there are flowers that have been planted in our gardens, like Lesser Celandine and Garlic Mustard, that have now run rampant, excluding other plants with the strength of their growth and even harmful chemistry. The list is, sadly, way too long.

Check out the CT Invasive Plant Working Group web site here.  The working group is a consortium of individuals, organizations, and agencies concerned with invasive plant issues. The website is quite an education. Their plant list is here.

Take some time to look around your yard and woodlot. This is the time now to identify them most easily. Then pull, cut, treat and remove as many as you can before they spread. Don’t let those berries be eaten; don’t let the seeds blow. Dispose of plants in your trash, and do not put into yard waste containers that will be sent to compost.

We have introduced these plants to our native habitats. They threaten native plants and are detrimental to native pollinators, birds, and other animals. I believe it is our responsibility to try and control them the best we can.

 Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

Small things do make a difference

by Beth Sullivan

As the summer season ramps up, some things slow down.

It’s getting too hot to have pre-planned big work parties on the preserves, yet it is a time when maintenance is needed. We are truly grateful for our volunteers with bigger equipment that can get some of the bigger trails mowed and maintained. But smaller efforts really add up too.

Clip and snip as you walk and it will be easier for the person who follows.

Evening walk with a purpose

It is a great time of year for morning or evening walks. The air is fresher, still cool enough to get some exercise, and the lighting is beautiful. A quiet walk can also be productive if you slip a pair of clippers into your pocket or don a pair of light gloves.

Invasive plants and vines are growing rapidly right now. Seemingly before our eyes, they reach out to obstruct the trails or grab at you with thorns. A quick, well aimed snip as you walk by can make all the difference for the person who comes after you.

Certain troublesome weeds like Garlic Mustard and Wild Radish are beginning their flowering and seed setting, and they have spread widely during the last months. The good thing is that these plants pull up easily. When I find either of these, or others I know, growing in invasive clusters, I love yanking them out and tossing them aside before they have a chance to set seed for next year. Every little bit helps.

As pretty as it looks, the little yellow flowers of Wild Radish will create abundant seeds and spread. It's okay to pull them up.

These invasive weeds are helped out by the defoliation occurring in our woodlands. While the large Oaks and other forest trees are suffering from leaf loss due to caterpillar infestations, there is more sunlight reaching the forest floor. Invasives are often the first and quickest to take advantage of the new sunny conditions and burst into flower and seed production. If we lose trees due to another year of stress, the openings in the forest will be taken over by these invasive plants whose seedlings got a quick start. Pull them now while you can.

Defoliation allows sunlight to reach the understory. 

That sunlight allows invasive weed seeds to grow in masses. Pull them up.

Another way you can help in the woods is to note when vines are beginning to overtake a tree. I recently witnessed a huge crash as the trunk of a tall straight old oak was snapped and crown dragged to the ground by the weight of vines. Invasives like Bittersweet will overtop a tree and the sheer volume of foliage adds a huge burden. This episode happened after a rain and the added water weight was too much to bear. As you walk in your own woods, or along a trail and you see Bittersweet making its ascent, pull out those handy clippers and a simple snip of the leading vine will kill off the remaining plant and possibly save the tree it has overtaken.

Many types of vines will over-top and eventually overwhelm trees. Snip them early.

The huge weight of invasive bittersweet took down a mighty old tree.

Gypsy Moths on the wing

I have also been appalled to see large dark clusters of the Gypsy Moth cocoons on tree trunks and undersides of branches throughout the woodlands. Many Gypsy moth caterpillars died before pupating and that was encouraging, but the overwhelming numbers of the ones that survived does not bode well for next year. I have taken my garden hose with a hard stream and aimed at washing off the cocoon masses I cannot reach with a stick. A power washer can reach even farther. With care, you can dislodge and destroy a large number of these cocoon masses, but you have to do it soon. The moths we have been seeing fluttering around at all hours of the day are the rust colored male Gypsy moths, already emerging first. The heavier white females will come out later and stay close to their cocoon masses on the tree trunks and lay their eggs. Be watchful and take action. Get rid of cocoons you may find on houses, sheds, woodpiles and trees where you can reach them. Be ready to sweep at and kill the female moths that cannot fly before they lay eggs. And keep a watchful eye out, and a stick in hand, to scrape away egg masses when you see them.

Look for dark masses of cocoons and remove them.

Stewardship can be simple small steps on an easy walk, on a pretty trail. But every little bit can help. And it feels good too!

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.