Virginia Invasive Plant Removal Day 2009 was a success! Thank you to everyone who contributed time and effort towards this important cause. More than 400 volunteers, including Master Naturalists, scouting and other youth groups, neighborhood associations, and other community volunteers, came to assist with the efforts. Together, they contributed more than 1300 hours of service and removed more than 250 bags of invasive plants. Their service plus additional in-kind donations are valued at more than $27,000.
garlic mustard plant in flower May 2nd was a prime date for pulling Garlic mustard (Alliaria officinalis) in many parts of Virginia. Especially in the Northern parts of the state where the plant was in bloom but had not yet seeded, making it easy to identify and pull. Many of the sites chose to focus on this plant in 2009 for their invasive removal efforts.
volunteer pulling out invasive vine Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards and Rivanna Master Naturalists removed Japanese honeysuckle and oriental bittersweet from along a hiking trail in Charlottesville.
group of volunteers posed with many large garbage bags of invasive plants Arlington Regional Master Naturalists (ARMN) and Arlington's Remove Invasive Plants (RiP) volunteers removed 15 bags of garlic mustard and mile-a-minute from Zachary Taylor Park.
volunteer pulling out garlic mustard plants with a field of garlic mustard in the foreground Volunteers at Rocky Run Stream Valley Park in Fairfax battled masses of garlic mustard and removed 303 pounds of this invasive plant!