Spring Clean-up: Invasive Spp and Flotsam

Priscilla, Lara and Heather organized and led clean up day as part of Big Event.

Two student crews pulled up young Ligustrum and gathered the old cups, bottles and cans floated down to the Delta in the southern Woods. Marvelous transformation and much more to do on both projects. Ligustrum and Elaeagnus removal offer opportunity to restore/ convert significant areas of the Woods where they currently are a thick shrub understory. Interesting to do patch removal and see what expands.. box elder, Symphoricarpos indian currant, grasses or something else. One could randomly pick a few 30 m x 30 m blocks each year to remove the invasives and watch the response.

I tackled Lonicera maackii Amur honeysuckle. I was aware of a half dozen large Amur honeysuckle growing southwest of the Bur Oak Bridge and in one western spot west of the Catalpa group. I ended up cutting 26 separate rooted plants with chainsaw or loppers.. maybe 100 stems. I treated all with roundup foam and marked each with pink flagging. I will return and see if there is stump sprouting later this summer and/or next spring.

As I was walking around looking closely for the honeysuckle I saw many more invasives I had not earlier noticed: ~10 small Bradford pear, 100's of Elaeagnus Russian olive. In one spot along the NW Trail there were 6 invasive spp. located together within 30 feet: privet, Nandina, multiflora rose, Elaeagnus, Bradford pear, Amur honeysuckle.

Today was a beautiful warm sunny spring day in the mid 70's F. After the long gentle rains (5.5 inches) of early April the flood in the western Woods is still there in small pools and soggy litter. The large craneflies Tipula are abundant with silvery wings and mating pairs around the shallow water. They've been waiting a long time. In the Southeast corner and elsewhere around the Woods light purple violets are abundantly blooming.

Each year 1-2 days in early April should be given to 'clean-ups' such as this. Perfect time. Early box elder leaves have just opened filling the understory but canopy is still open and bare. Invasive spp. are easy to spot. Lots of diverse butterflies are feeding on the sweet flowers of the Russian olive. If I've missed any large Amur honeysuckle, its flowers will be opening prominently this week.