Invasive Plants in Arlington

Happy Bastille Day!

2009-07-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

In honor of Bastille Day and the Tree Liberation Front, I present this picture of free trees that largely have been liberated from the killing grip of invasive vines.

May Day Wisteria

2009-07-12T22:55:00.001-04:00

As a rewind, here is what the Wisteria in the general area was looking like on May Day, 5/1/09. Such lovely lavender flowers! Now it's all been whacked for the sake of the native plants.

In addition to those "lovely" flowers, this also shows the spiraling strangulation grip of Wisteria vines and a mix of living and previously whacked vines. Plus the usual carpet of English Ivy. Also seen is some living, native Mountain Laurel that isn't quite dead, yet.

Another View of Ivy-Whacking Work to Do!

2009-07-12T21:50:00.000-04:00

"Third Sunday" at LBNC

2009-07-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

The "third Sunday" team that worked here June 21 under Matt's directiopn while I was up in Maine did great work. You can see their ivy piles and the cleared area in the foreground. I'm still playing with ways to use marker tape to help visualization of work that we've done.

Ready for More

2009-07-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

The punch line of this view is that most of the coarsest invasives above the English Ivy on the ground have been removed. Now the area is much more accessible. It is ready for a good round of whacking to take out the ivy soon.

Into the Nightmare

2009-07-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

Here we have Wisteria and some very nasty Multiflora Rose -- check the wicked thorns on the vertical stem just barely right of center. Much whacking followed.

"Record" Wisteria?

2009-07-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

I saved this as a possible "record" length of a Wisteria runner. We'll have to measure it later, but I guessed it is in the 50-60 foot range. Of course that is partly how Wisteria can be so horribly invasive -- it can send out super long runners in multiple directions, and they grow fast.

A 16-Ounce RC Bottle!

2009-07-12T21:33:00.000-04:00

Invasives archaeology turned up this 16-ounce Royal Crown Cola (RC) bottle under a dense mass of crap. I can't help but think of an old NRBQ tune, "RC Cola and a Moon Pie."

Invasives Archaeology

2009-07-12T21:28:00.000-04:00

I think this area was a picnic area many years ago. I found landscape timbers under a thick carpet of invasives, and today this artifact that turned out to be...

Yesterday's Work

2009-07-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

A boatload of Wisteria in this area got whacked yesterday. Yetserday it rained gently for the latter part of my work. Today was hot and humid. So both days I got soggy with rain and/or sweat. But, like we say, "Today is a good day for bad plants to die."

Argh, Japanese Stiltgrass

2009-07-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

On a sandy section of the flood plain where I did a lot of work, now these seedlings of Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) are showing up. Rats.

Saving the Big White Oak

2009-07-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

It isn't real obvious, but careful inspection of the full-size image will show wilted, dead Wisteria to the left of the big Oak -- vines that would have killed have been killed, instead.

More of the Work Area

2009-07-12T01:56:00.000-04:00

And that's a very nice, large White Oak off to the right that I hope to save.

Nastiness

2009-07-12T01:53:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, the invasives here are so thick they take up about 18 inches above the ground surface with a dense mass of vegetation. Some cutting with my hand saw put a hurt on that.

More of the Work Area

2009-07-12T01:51:00.000-04:00

I whacked the bulk of the Wisteria visible here after taking this photo.

Whacking Away

2009-07-12T01:49:00.000-04:00

A lot of Wisteria in this scene has just been whacked.

Time to Whack Some More Wisteria!

2009-07-12T01:48:00.000-04:00

Today (Sat. July 11 that is) I went to work in this area, whacking non-native Wisteria, Bush Honeysuckle, English Ivy, and Multiflora Rose.

Whacked Wisteria and Liberated Mountain Laurel

2009-07-04T22:09:00.000-04:00

More of the Whacking Zone

2009-07-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

Note the spiral Wisteria scars up the gray trunk of the Maple to the right.

More Dead Wisteria

2009-07-04T22:05:00.000-04:00

Also there is a large fallen tree in the background that had been covered and almost hidden under the Wisteria and English Ivy. I saw the comical sight of a Gray Catbird cocking its head, studying all the changed, whacked area, and running along the huge trunk eagerly gobbling up food items that has been inaccessible prior to the whacking operations.

Dead Wisteria; Alive Poison Ivy

2009-07-04T22:03:00.000-04:00

Mounds of dead Wisteria make me happy. Lush healthy Poison Ivy also makes me happy, sort of, since it is native and good food for wildlife.

More Liberation through Whacking

2009-07-04T22:01:00.000-04:00

The Tree Liberation Front Whacks Invasives for the 4th of July

2009-07-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

I killed a lot more Wisteria today, liberating trees and shrubs like this big Mountain Laurel. A number of the large Mountain Laurels had been killed by the invasives, but this one had been hanging on and still has some healthy foliage. I am amazed at how aggressive exotic Wisteria can be, and how destructive. Liberating native plants from its tyrannical grip seemed like a fine way to celebrate freedom on this day.

More Wisteria to Whack

2009-07-03T22:01:00.000-04:00

Killing bad invasive plants to liberate good natives is a form of "fireworks" for people like me.

And the Former Wisteria Jungle, Today

2009-07-03T21:05:00.001-04:00

That same area as it appeared today, after major whacking of the Wisteria. The English Ivy still needs a lot of work, and there is still some remaining Wisteria also. That's a dead Mountain Laurel skeleton just left of the big Oak.