It’s July.
It’s hot.
Sweat is a constant companion in the field. Ticks are out in force; the berry bushes have thorns that grasp clothing at every step. Plants out of place otherwise known as inappropriate plants or invasive plants laugh at us as we pass by knowing that we are working against time to control their aggressive growth.
Bottom line – it’s brutal out there, at this, the peak of the field season.
And so, it begs the question: why do we do what we do in the heat and rain and oppressive conditions?
The answer is relatively easy. It is because at the end of the day we are doing the very best work for the very best reason…to create a place and a home for those plants and animals that would not have a place or a home except for our diligent work.
Many of the plant species we strive to eradicate arrived from Europe or Asia as medicinal, culinary, forage or ornamental plants. And while many of these plants are gorgeous, without any controls such as bacteria, fungus, or animal consumers, they can grow unhindered and take over spaces in which our lovely native species should be thriving.
Along with the usual buckthorn and honeysuckle, here are a few of the unwanted plants that we seek to manage at Belwin:
Grecian Foxglove:
Arrived: in the mid 1900’s from central and southern Europe. Used for ornamental gardening and medicine.
Habitat: thrives in areas like ditches, open prairie, edges of woods and oak savannas.
Threat: toxic to livestock, wildlife and humans.
Bird’s Foot Trefoil:
Arrived: in the 1700’s from Europe and used as forage and erosion control.
Habitat: thrives in direct sunlight and dry soil conditions found in many prairies, roadside ditches and woodland edges.
Threat: grows in dense mats that choke out other plant species.
Spotted Knapweed:
Arrived: in the 1890’s from Europe and Asia as a contaminant in agricultural seed.
Habitat: prefers dry, sandy soils found in many prairies.
Threat: produces a chemical that is toxic to other plants, allowing it to spread quickly and choke out other plants.
Power of the Pull
Wintertime is the time of cutting buckthorn and controlling woody species.
Summertime is the time to tackle herbaceous or soft stemmed plants. Our toolbox of strategies for this work includes brush hogs (big mowers on the back of tractors), brush saws, and judicious spot treating with chemicals. For some plants it’s just good old “put your back into it” pulling. Truly, many hands make light work.
Crews have been out in force for the past week and will continue for the next few weeks pulling Grecian Foxglove at Stagecoach Prairie and other parts of Belwin. This plant is pushy, and given a chance, will populate an area in very short order. Each individual plant can produce between 10,000–60,000 seeds. Each seed can remain viable for between 10 and 20 years. While we love having job security, this is not how we want to achieve it! The quicker we get to pulling the plants and dropping them in our burn pit, the better chance we have of decreasing the seeds to soil and diminishing the population.
Kudos to the Crew
There is an old saying that refers to the dedication of mail carriers that goes like this: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” It speaks to the dedication of this elite group of people.
At Belwin, we are blessed to have a similar dedicated group of folks, our volunteers.
Belwin volunteers are critical to the success of our invasive plant control in the summer.
We could not do the work without their support and enthusiastic efforts. When the call goes out for help, without hesitation they show up with their brilliant smiles, their determined effort and indominable spirit to get the job done. To that point, I would change a few words of the postal service creed: “Neither impeding rain nor sweat nor ticks nor heat of day stays these valiant souls as they strive to do everything they can for our native plants.”
We love and appreciate our volunteers.
Why we do what we do
The work of land management and habitat restoration is not for the faint of heart. It is hard work and sometimes grueling work. It requires patience, commitment, tenacity and a long view through time in which to measure success.
At Belwin, we are succeeding in our efforts to support native habitats and all their inhabitants, both plant and animal. We suffer setbacks and celebrate victories both large and small. And we continue to do the work because, the work is the reward.
It is good work… and worthy work.
It is work worth doing. It is why we do what we do.
And really, what could be better than that?
If you are interested in joining this intrepid group of folks who help us do our field work, visit belwin.org/volunteer
Visit our events page to attend an upcoming event with Lynette as your guide, or learn more about volunteering with Belwin on our Volunteer page.
