Invasive Plants Project
There are a lot of things we can’t do these days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being outside and working in our yards (or volunteering for the Land Trust) are things we can do while we work to keep ourselves and families safe during the pandemic. We can work on the influx of plants that are non-native and can be deadly to our landscape.
Nature is pretty clever. The plants and animals and insects and birds that occupy a particular place have evolved to support one another. Seasons bring new members naturally as some migrate, some hibernate and some just go dormant until warmer weather comes.
In our little corner it is fascinating to watch each year as our spring birds come back to nest from their winter homes and, this time of year, when many animals slow way down in the winter forage everything they can to get them through the coming lean cold months.
To Everything there is a season… And, unfortunately man keeps messing with that.
Invasive Burning Bush
For our first Invasive Plant Project let’s talk about Burning Bush. This is a native plant in Asia, primarily Japan and Korea, and it does very well there. They have plants that help keep it from taking over the landscape. It was brought here as an ornamental bush in the 1860’s.
Unfortunately, it spreads easily through bird and animals ‘depositing’ seeds and through an ambitious root system. This time of year it is easily spotted along our roadways, in our woods, and filling areas in pastures. It chokes out much of our natural undergrowth and will literally fill a forest if not controlled.
Do you think you might have some in your yard? This is an information sheet on Burning Bush or Euonymus Alatus to help you identify and then learn about eradicating it.
Plant Highbush Blueberry Instead
What can you plant instead? How about our very pretty native Highbush Blueberry?
Curious about other Invasive Plants? Try this great resource: Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group at UCONN.