Let's help out Stark Parks this time and remove an invasive species of plant- Garlic Mustard.
What is Garlic Mustard?? An invasive plant with triangular, heart-shaped leaves, toothed edges, and small white four-petal flowers. It is a biennial.
Why do we need to remove it?? It emerges earlier in spring than many native plants. By the time the native species are ready to grow, garlic mustard has blocked their sunlight and outcompeted them for moisture and vital nutrients. In its lifecycle, one garlic mustard plant can produce 7,000 seeds!!
The roots of this plant excrete chemicals that alter the underground fungi, affecting the nutrients that allow new trees to grow.
Garlic mustard is not prickly nor thorned. It uproots very easily with little effort. In rare cases, it can cause a mild skin irritation for some people. If you think there is a chance you could have skin reaction, please bring gloves and wear long sleeves. Most people have no issue with this plant.
We will be bagging the plants and disposing of them in the garbage so as not to further spread seeds. This sneaky plant can actually reroot itself if pulled and left on the ground!
This is a great activity for kids to teach them about ecosystems, plant identification, and why we need to preserve the forest. (Plus, they can do all the work of bending over! Kids are closer to the ground.)
Meet near the pavillion. There is plenty of parking in the nearby lots, as well as in the overflow parking areas. There will be examples of the plants we are looking for as reference. Bring shoes that can get muddy, the ground may be wet if we get even more spring rain.
We can stay together as a group, or you may choose any trail on property to work on your own. We will have further instruction on the day of the event if there is a particular area they would like us to concentrate on and also where to place our collection.
