Early summer is still a great time to go after many of the invasive species that are crowding out native plants and reducing food sources for birds and pollinators. Japanese barberry fruits have yet to ripen and garlic mustard seed pods are drying out but have not yet popped open. (Barberry can take over the forest understory, change soil chemistry and harbor deer ticks that carry Lyme disease. Garlic mustard often crowds out native spring flowers such as bleeding heart and trout lily along our road sides.)

Small barberry plants can often be pulled up by hand; just wear tough gloves to protect against thorns. Another shrub, winged euonymous, also replaces native shrubs in the understory. Its berries are not ripe yet either. Pull out the smaller plants and cut back larger ones to prevent seeds from dispersing. Garlic mustard is relatively easy to tear up by the roots, but at this point the seeds will continue to ripen so bag the plants and put in the garbage. Norway maples, which out-compete our native sugar maples, can be controlled by cutting or girdling mature trees and removing sprouts by hand pulling. Very visible at this time of year is yellow flag or iris. These plants spread rapidly in wetland areas, especially around the edges of ponds and lakes and along streams. Yellow flag replaces native iris and other marsh species that provide food for ducks. Hand pulling and digging up are recommended strategies for control. This is also a good time to do a survey of any property you may own to see what invasives may be taking hold and make a management plan.

Doing this work all alone can seem pretty daunting while getting family or friends to help out makes a tremendous difference to both morale and accomplishment! 

Check this excellent website for information on identifying and removing invasive plants: https://cipwg.uconn.edu/invasive_plant_list/# .

Brought to you by the Norfolk Conservation Commission.