May Speaker Invasive Plant Info

a thicket of Japanese Knotweed

Thanks to Jane Deering for hosting our May Community Meeting Speaker, Maddie Kiszewski. Maddie sent along the requested information from her talk for our longer term reference. I’m still pulling garlic mustard even though it threatens to release seeds any time now! And I’ve found that the drop off of landscaping bags at the town compost site at 755 Walden is super easy, during open hours of course: Wednesdays 3 to 6, Saturdays 9 to 3. Bring a big container that fits in your car and a shovel to take home a load of beautiful compost for your troubles.

Fact sheets Kiszewski designed for Vermont State Parks:
Common Barberry  https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/CommonBarberryFactSheet_2019.pdf
Glossy Buckthorn:  https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/GlossyBuckthornFactSheet_2019.pdf
Garlic Mustard:  https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/GarlicMustardFactSheet_2019.pdf
Japanese Knotweed:  https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/KnotweedFactSheet_2019.pdf
Wild Parsnip:  https://vtinvasives.org/sites/default/files/fact-sheets/WildParsnipFactSheet_2019.pdf

The Sudbury Valley Trustees has a great guide re: pollinator preservation.
Link to the PDF and how to use it:
https://www.svtweb.org/mca-pollinator-preservation-garden-toolkit
This is the list for endangered pollinators:
https://gegearlab.weebly.com/plant-list.html
Homegrown national park guide on what natives:
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/faq-2/what-insects-and-plants-by-doug-tallamy
A tool to find specific plants:
https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants

Best places to purchase:

Izel Plants:  https://www.izelplants.com/native-to/massachusetts

 

Top 5 Edible Natives:
Blueberry (Vaccinium sp.)
Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)

ESSENTIAL tools:
Weed wrench (pull out small trees and shrubs with ease)
Hand sized pick axe/flat edge (for bitttersweet excavation)
Loppers/pruning sheers (it’s easier to access the root ball when the branches and thorns are out of the
way)
Shovel or Pick axe

 

If you wish to contact Maddie, her information is: