By Linda Hughes, Central Blue Ridge Chapter
Several community members pitched in to do battle with invasive plants at Rockfish Valley Foundation’s Camille Trailhead September 14.
The Invasive workday is a part of a multi-year invasive plant management and education endeavor spearheaded by two Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers, Mary Voorhees with the Rivanna Chapter and Linda Hughes with the Central Blue Ridge Chapter, along with Peter Agelasto, Rockfish Valley Foundation program director, and the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF).
Utilizing guidance from Blue Ridge PRISM, nearly 20 people got to work pulling stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), Oriental lady's thumb (Persicaria longiseta), and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Volunteers also used string trimmers to scalp larger stiltgrass infestations. Volunteers then moved piles of stiltgrass off trail for the sun to degrade since it didn’t have seedheads yet.
Dauntless volunteers risked thorny nicks and cut back multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) while teams of Virginia Master Naturalists helped licensed pesticide applicators from the DOF paint the stumps. By hacking & squirting herbicides, the tag teams also tackled several Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), Amur Cork tree (Phellodendron amurense), a Persian Silt Tree (Albizia julibrissin), Asiatic Bittersweet Vine (Celastrus orbiculatus), and Privet (Ligustrum).
A “grove” of Bradford Pears (Pyrus calleryana) and Amur Cork (Phellodendron amurense) trees downstream will need to be confronted this fall/winter by cutting and treating stumps.
Kudos to workday partners DOF’s Deya Ramsden, Middle River Watershed coordinator, who installed a riparian buffer at RVF, and Justin Barnes, Deputy Regional Forester and Central Blue Ridge chapter advisor. Both served as the workday’s licensed herbicide applicators.
With the invasive clearing, volunteers revealed some beautiful Blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), a White Turtle head (Chelone glabra), a Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina Carolina), and a Saddleback Caterpillar (Sibine stimulea).
Many thanks to all the volunteers:
Central Blue Ridge Chapter VMN -- Kathy Kelly, Lena Kroll, Judy Oglethorpe, Phyllis Savides and Debbie Harkrader
Rivanna Chapter VMN -- Monica Newby
Rockfish Valley Foundation -- Tina Thomas, Terry Thomas, Bill West and Gene Hughes
Community partners -- Kim Kroll, Liz Dunkle and Mike Craig
Keeping the momentum up, quarterly workdays are planned with the first one slated for November 15.
Several community members pitched in to do battle with invasive plants at Rockfish Valley Foundation’s Camille Trailhead September 14.
The Invasive workday is a part of a multi-year invasive plant management and education endeavor spearheaded by two Virginia Master Naturalist volunteers, Mary Voorhees with the Rivanna Chapter and Linda Hughes with the Central Blue Ridge Chapter, along with Peter Agelasto, Rockfish Valley Foundation program director, and the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF).
Utilizing guidance from Blue Ridge PRISM, nearly 20 people got to work pulling stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), Oriental lady's thumb (Persicaria longiseta), and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Volunteers also used string trimmers to scalp larger stiltgrass infestations. Volunteers then moved piles of stiltgrass off trail for the sun to degrade since it didn’t have seedheads yet.
Dauntless volunteers risked thorny nicks and cut back multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) while teams of Virginia Master Naturalists helped licensed pesticide applicators from the DOF paint the stumps. By hacking & squirting herbicides, the tag teams also tackled several Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), Amur Cork tree (Phellodendron amurense), a Persian Silt Tree (Albizia julibrissin), Asiatic Bittersweet Vine (Celastrus orbiculatus), and Privet (Ligustrum).
A “grove” of Bradford Pears (Pyrus calleryana) and Amur Cork (Phellodendron amurense) trees downstream will need to be confronted this fall/winter by cutting and treating stumps.
Kudos to workday partners DOF’s Deya Ramsden, Middle River Watershed coordinator, who installed a riparian buffer at RVF, and Justin Barnes, Deputy Regional Forester and Central Blue Ridge chapter advisor. Both served as the workday’s licensed herbicide applicators.
With the invasive clearing, volunteers revealed some beautiful Blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), a White Turtle head (Chelone glabra), a Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina Carolina), and a Saddleback Caterpillar (Sibine stimulea).
Many thanks to all the volunteers:
Central Blue Ridge Chapter VMN -- Kathy Kelly, Lena Kroll, Judy Oglethorpe, Phyllis Savides and Debbie Harkrader
Rivanna Chapter VMN -- Monica Newby
Rockfish Valley Foundation -- Tina Thomas, Terry Thomas, Bill West and Gene Hughes
Community partners -- Kim Kroll, Liz Dunkle and Mike Craig
Keeping the momentum up, quarterly workdays are planned with the first one slated for November 15.
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