Friday, April 23, 2010

Consumed

For the past three weeks I have been obsessed with garlic mustard. Any chance I get I'm out in my backyard, my neighbor's backyard, or the neighboring empty lot - pulling this thing with a vengeance. In certain areas its 100% percent of the total cover. Just a crazy carpet of this crap, that will eventually go to seed and produce an even denser and larger diameter carpet next year.

This is an edible plant, brought over from Europe long ago. Since its non-native it has no nature enemies to keep it under check. No animals browse it, no bugs eat it. You get the first one in your yard and think - look how pretty, its shiny and bushy and it has that nice white flower. Then it goes to seed, which is scattered by animals and kids all over the place, and before you know it you've been successfully invaded.

Removing it all from my yard took time. But I did it. Now I want it out of my neighbor's yard - for obvious reasons. However, convincing some people that this thing should be at the least managed is challenging. But I have hope that - with a smile and a free flyer, I will prevail.

Link - Garlic Mustard flyer from WDNR. Know your enemy!

1 comment:

Melissa Lauterbach Barrett said...

What I always wonder is - if we're being invaded by European things...is any of our 'American' stuff invading them? It didn't see like it.