Posted on 05/06/2008 7:31:17 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Hundreds of Americorps members will join forces with the Natural Resources Foundation and the state DNR to attack invasive plant species in Sauk County on Wednesday, May 14.
"From what we can tell, this is going to be the largest single largest one-day volunteer event to combat invasive species in Wisconsin history," said Kelly Kearns, plant conservation manager for the Department of Natural Resources.
"Invasive species don't just threaten the beauty of Wisconsin's lands and waters, they also cost us millions of dollars each year," she said.
The invasive plants to be combated on May 14 include garlic mustard, buckthorn and honeysuckle. There are high costs to removing these and other species, and buckthorn and honeysuckle also prevent regeneration of young trees, hurting forests and the forest industry.
A total of 450 Americorps members will be working on public land sites in Sauk County, including Devil's Lake State Park, Parfey's Glen State Natural Area, the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant and 15 other sites. the volunteers will meet at Devil's Lake at 9 a.m. and move to various sites after a welcome by DNR Secretary Matt Frank.
Physical labor will include pulling, bagging and removing plants to prevent any seeds from escaping to return next year.
This is the first year that Americorps has focused its day service on the environment.
"We were thrilled when the Natural Resources Foundation suggested a conservation theme for this year's service project," said Tom Devine, executive director of Serve Wisconsin, the state's Americorps program.
I think they tried this back in the 70’s in the Atlanta area and discovered that the Kudzu was winning! ;-)
The Buffalo Hot Wings flavor are not too bad, either, further demonstrating the virtues of a market economy. :)
As a child my friend and I spent a summer day putting Honeysuckle nectar drop by drop into a saucepan. We gathered about a half an inch. Then we ruined (by accident) with our recipe to make a thicker syrup.
I will forever love the smell of Honeysuckle and the memories it brings. A few years ago I grew it intentionally along a fence with only a small strip of land between my driveway and a neighbors. But, keeping it under control was more work than I wanted and tore it out.
Is the Coral Honeysuckle the same as a Trumpet Vine? I haven’t had much luck with them.
This is trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) lifesize. Much bigger than coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) but also loved by the hummingbirds.
Trumpet vine is a house eater. I spent a good six years killing off the one that had been getting under the siding and into the light fixtures. It would pop up fifteen feet from the mother plant.
I tried transplanting some to grow up a pine tree and out-thug the Japanese honeysuckle, but it is not happy there. Eight years without a flower.
If you ever plant trumpet vine it needs sun, a massive pergola or fence to grow on, and about twenty feet clear around it where you can mow and cut down any shoots.
Buckthorne arrrrrrrgh nasty plant
Had a customer come in and want wisteria. Not that awful viney thing that takes over and kills tall pine trees—she wanted the well behaved dwarf one that makes a nice, graceful shrub, kind of like a small weeping willow. LOL I spent a good half hour trying to convince her there was no such thing as dwarf well behaved wisteria, that it was just the way it was pruned, and it took a lot of constant pruning to keep it under control. She left in a huff, and still thinks I was lying to her or a complete moron. Need I add that she wasn’t from the south? I hope she finds some and plants it right next to her house. LOL
We don’t have any of the garlic mustard or buckthorn, but I’ll see that and raise y’all some sandspurs and pennywort and Florida Betony and kudzu! Takers, anyone?!
My MIL planted one right next to her house—same story. I told her not to. Her reply? One of my SIL had given her a hummingbird vine, not a trumpet vine. No, no, no. Okay. Which one of us is an accountant and which one works at a greenhouse? 15 years and we still haven’t eradicated the &*%^#! thing!
Why aren’t they making ethanol out of this resource?
Ow ow ow sandspurs. My grandmother lived on Sullivans Island. We were persistantly barefoot.
I've placed a nice vinyl arbor to one side that I've tried to train it into a tree form of a Japanese Wisteria plant. It only bloomed one year. And this year I was sure I did everything right from timing of pruning, cutting roots, and keeping fertilizer away from it. Since the blooms occur as it leafs out, I don't see any blooms.
I'm so disappointed. My husband wants to chop it down. The trunk is at least 5” thick and it is at least 10 years old. I see lovely Japanese wisteria in pictures of gardens. When I go to cooperative extension, they just look up what we all can read in books.
Two years ago I cut all the foliage off based on a poster on Dave's Garden does. The poster has lovely wisteria grown as small trees in pots. But, he is in CA and I'm on Long Island. I thought last years no flowers was from cutting off all the foliage at the end of August.
Then a few weeks ago, I was on the East End of Long Island and saw some wineries near the road. They had severely cut back the grape vines to only allow 2 lateral branches and 2 branches going straight up which I assume is to make lateral shoots up at a higher level.
I'm not ready to give up on it. The Horticulturist at our local big nursery, Hicks, said I should get an American wisteria.
Pardon me about my wisteria obsession.
What got me into the love of wisteria in tree form was seeing three gorgeous trees in a row about 5’ high just like a palm trees in shape all in gorgeous bloom and looking perfectly neat. It was not a large property. It was on a road bordering Queens County and Nassau County as we were finding an alternate way to get on the Cross Island Parkway. It reminded me of the way many Italian gardeners around LI keep their fig trees so preserved for the winter. Perfectly trimmed and in bloom.
Didn’t they plant that stuff intentionally in some areas to control erosion on hillsides?
Don’t get me wrong—I love wisteria! It’s absolutely beautiful climbing and twining around 70-80’ pine trees. It’s one of the first things to bloom here, that and jasmine. I love the smell of both. The jasmine is sweet as a baby and the wisteria smells like woodsmoke.
If you want to bother with keeping it pruned, then by all means have at it! Just don’t try to tell me that there’s a dwarf variety! No such critter—at least not here!
Didn’t know it would live that far north—course, I didn’t know figs would either!
“I was SO proud of one of my customers today. She was ready to tackle the garlic mustard on her land and she wanted my advice.”
Call me crazy, but I would’ve recommended mincing it finely, pack it into a jar, cover with olive oil, and make salad dressing.
Never tried corn gluten, but I’m from the “eat your weeds” camp. Just ask mom about my dandelion jelly, or my honeysuckle jam.
Hi gardengirl. Here’s a Texas web site that sells wisteria pruned in tree form.
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/tree-wisteria.html
Well, as long as you’re on your own land, do as you please.
I make Dandelion Wine and also eat a lot of things out of my own lawn...wild violet jelly, purslane in my salads, etc. Things will be up and blooming very soon. Brother made “Traffic Jam” for all of us last Christmas, made from wild, invasive grapes he found along one of our major roadways.
This article is referring to land where these weeds are out of control. I doubt your average person can eat their way through enough of them to control them before they do their harm. If I had my way, shooting “imported” sparrows would be a national sport, too.
But I’m one of those mean, practical ‘Conserve-a-tives.’ :)
“This article is referring to land where these weeds are out of control. I doubt your average person can eat their way through enough of them to control them before they do their harm.”
You’d be surprised at the power of the human esophagus to control species’ populations. Passenger pigeons used to fly in such big flocks they’d block out the sun, ~100 years later they were extinct, in large part because they were hunted for food.
Personally, I find garlic mustard too spicy, but then I’m a wimp when it comes to spices (just ask my brother!)
Dandelion and burdock roots are excellent in a stew, though! And I keep wanting to try yellowdock leaves, but the bugs always get to them first and leave very little green between the brown spots.
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