Invasive Plants: How to Identify and Remove

  1. IDENTIFY:  See the resources below.
  2. REMOVE: Lathrop volunteers are using two methods for removing invasives:
    1. Hand pull:  Disturb the ground as little as possible, lest you open it up for new seeds to sprout. Hang the pulled plant on the branch of a shrub, or put it on top of a rock or fallen branch so it dries out and cannot reroot.  If the plant has flowers or seeds, remove those to the “garden waste” receptacles on our land.
    2. Cut-stump.  Cut the shrub or vine as close to the ground as you can and, within 10 minutes, use a Buckthorn Blaster to paint the stump with herbicide.  (Buckthorn blasters with appropriate herbicide and instructions are available from Barbara Walvoord at walvoord@nd.edu).  Volunteers should not use herbicide in wetlands, within 100 feet of a wetland or pond, or within 200 feet of a perennial river or stream.

RESOURCES FOR IDENTIFYING INVASIVE PLANTS AT LATHROP

  • Identify Common Invasive Shrubs, Vines, and Small Trees.  A one-page field guide by Barbara Walvoord and the Lathrop Land Conservation Committee.  The guide is arranged as a decision-tree to be used by  volunteers, as they look at a plant and try to decide whether it is invasive or not.   To create the brochure, print on two sides of a single sheet of paper, flipping on the short side. Then fold the sheet into thirds.  SEE BELOW.
  • Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts.  An 80-page booklet with 66 invasive plants, one page each, with description of the plant and its habitat and similar species for comparison. Opens with 7 pages of introduction to invasive plants and how to prevent/control them.  https://www.mass.gov/guides/masswildlife-publications#-invasive-plants-in-massachusetts    
  • Help learning to identify common invasives.  Each invasive is explained with characteristics and a self-correcting quiz.  http://www.misin.msu.edu/training/
  • Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-Alikes.  http://www.nybg.org/files/scientists/rnaczi/Mistaken_Identity_Final.pdf
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