Japanese Barberry and Lyme Disease

Did you know that you can be up to TWELVE TIMES MORE LIKELY to contract Lyme Disease if there is invasive Japanese barberry on your property? Studies indicate a 12.6 times greater density of deer ticks on property with a high density of Japanese barberry, versus a comparable wooded area with no Japanese barberry. (Source: UConn Extension Forestry Program).

For more information on the studies that have been conducted, risks, and control information see the Cooperative Extension Service's Japanese barberry information site.

Faith Middleton Show: Japanese Barberry and Lyme Disease (barberry segment begins about 25 minutes into sound clip).

Take Lyme Disease seriously. Note serious symptons on CDC information page.

GPIP Presents at CIPWG Meeting

Glastonbury Partners in Planting was invited to speak at the November 20, 2013 meeting of the Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group. Alan S presented our 2013 oriental bittersweet initiatives, which focused on ways to build a support base and create community partnerships, to control widespread oriental bittersweet infestation. He also discussed our three-level Work Day strategy and hands-on approaches to eradication, suppression and containment (see Work Day Strategies).

We are just at the beginning of our journey but hope the information that was presented will be helpful to other communities as they pursue their own efforts to contain this extremely damaging invasive plant.

Understory Restoration: Mountain Laurel

If you are fortunate enough to have eliminated oriental bittersweet from a wooded area, the next question is, "Now what?" In most cases it is necessary to help mother nature with restoring the understory (the plants that grow under the trees). Doing nothing invites the return of oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, winged euonymous and other aggressive invasives that will take over the understory.

At a recent Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group meeting http://www.cipwg.uconn.edu/  mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia) was suggested by Logan Senack, CT Invasive Plant Coordinator, and several attendees as a good plant to include in an understory restoration effort. Mountain laurel also happens to be the Connecticut state plant.

Mountain laurel is fairly shade tolerant and will grow very well at the sunny edges of a wooded site, where sun-seeking oriental bittersweet typically thrives and gets its start. By increasing the shade to the understory floor mountain laurel can reduce the growth of oriental bittersweet. Mountain laurel will also grow in a wooded grove but growth is less vigorous as tree canopy shade increases.

You may ask, "But bittersweet shades the area too so what's the difference?" The difference is that mountain laurel never grows into the forest canopy for light, so it never shades and kills the trees and all other growth. Mountain laurel provides dappled shade at the understory level and is very compatible with a wide range of other beneficial plants.

Mountain laurel is an excellent repacement for invasive plants like winged euonymous, which has a very dense root system that crowds out other plants.

For more information on mountain laurel go to:
UCONN Plant Information
Broken Arrow Nursery
Dick Jaynes Mountain Laurel YouTube Videos: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3 

November "Save A Tree" Work Day Successful!

On November 17th a group of 15 highly experienced "Gold Level" bittersweet battlers met at Riverfront Park (with Town approval) to cut vines along the river trail. The trail is south of the drainage swale (which is just south of the new boat house location) and runs along the river toward the water treatment facility behind Town Hall. It is a potentially beautiful trail, referred to by many as one of the hidden gems of Riverfront Park.

This was our first experiment with the newly created "Gold Level" designation, which indicates a participant has been vetted and approved to work on our more challenging bittersweet projects.

If you have strong experience with bittersweet eradication (participating in our 9/28/13 Work Day, for example) and are interested in joining the Gold Level team please drop an e-mail to information@gpip.org briefly outlining your experience. Once approved you will be added to the Gold Level list and notified of Gold Level "Save A Tree" events.

For more information on our Work Day Strategies click on "Strategies."



First cut vine of the day was a 30+ year old specimen.

The view is slowly improving!

Evelyn versus the vines.



Where's Jan?



Lynn and Wayne work along the river.



Dick G. opens up the trail.



What's going on here??

November Bittersweet Journal

November brings a last chance to spot oriental bittersweet because these invasive vines typically hold onto leaves longer than the trees they are strangling. That makes it easy to spot the bittersweet leaves as they turn yellowish green, on a tree that is otherwise bare. Now is a good time to get out and pull the vines, or cut and treat them if you prefer using an herbicide to kill the root system over the winter.

It's also easy to spot yellowing bittersweet leaves against white pines and other evergreens.

November is also a good time to walk any wooded areas to pull or cut and treat small bittersweet vines because they are among the few plants holding leaves. That means they stand out and are easy to spot.

Oriental bittersweet is a perennial so don't make the mistake of thinking the vines "die" in the winter. They're quite alive, with nutrients pulled down the the root system and waiting for spring so they can continue their tree-killing mission.



Small oriental bittersweet vines are easy to spot in early November so this is a good time to
walk your property and pull or cut and treat vines as needed.

 

Land Heritage Coalition (LHC) of Glastonbury

One of the purposes of this blog is to share information about Glastonbury's conservation groups, their conservation activities, and educational events. Increasing awareness of and support for these organizations is a vital part of preserving the natural beauty and resources of our town. For more information on the Land Heritage Coalition go to: http://www.lhcglastonbury.org/

Don't Decorate With Invasive Oriental Bittersweet



With Halloween and the holidays quickly approaching 'tis the season for many Glastonbury residents to add a festive splash of color to their front doors by adding a wreath or other natural decoration. It's also a good time to remind friends and neighbors- don't decorate with oriental bittersweet! The berries will fall from the vines or be carried by birds, spreading the misery of oriental bittersweet investation around town and contributing to the increasing damage and destruction of our trees.



And what about those fake plastic oriental bittersweet wreaths? Bad idea. Nope, they don't produce tree-killing plastic vines in the spring but they do spread the popularity and eye-catching appeal of natural bittersweet wreaths. With the abundance of berry-laden vines in town just waiting to become wreaths there will always be folks who haven't yet connected all those dead trees along the Route 3 Putnam Bridge approach to the pretty killer hanging on their front door.

Here's a link to another article on this topic: http://www.telegram.com/article/20071217/NEWS/712170564/1008/NEWS02

Glastonbury Bittersweet Battlers: The Movie!

The moving feel-good story of nearly 80 intrepid volunteers cast away on Bittersweet Isle, fighting for survival against invasive vines! No food, no lights, no motorcars; not a single luxury! Like Robinson Crusoe it's primitive as can be!

"Battling Bittersweet" Work Day Exceeds Goals!

Congratulations to the nearly 80 intrepid bittersweet battlers who worked on September 28th at Riverfront Park!

The results exceeded all expectations, with 100% completion of the planned area. Many non-invasive plants were revealed under the vine cover, struggling to survive. They will provide an excellent basis for the restoration of the understory.

In addition to the original work site, a number of battlers moved to the tree nursery and removed bittersweet from the collection of beneficial trees in the nursery that are awaiting replanting in different areas of town (for more information on the tree project CLICK HERE ).

Everyone enjoyed removing vines from the majestic trees and native plants in the work area, knowing they have saved them from a long slow death by bittersweet. It was also a real pleasure to hear the positive comments and appreciation expressed by people using the walking path adjacent to the site.


Above: Just one of the many Work Day debris piles.
The rings on many vines indicated over 30 years of growth.
We saw enough tree and habitat destruction to believe it!

The highest kudos and thanks to every volunteer, to the Parks and Recreation Department, and to Greg Foran and his crew who helped with vine cutting and worked hard to carefully and sparingly treat the cut stumps of the vines. It was a great day!

Running Bamboo- New CT Law to Take Effect 10/1/13

Connecticut has enacted a new law regarding running bamboo which includes the following provisions (bold and underline added):

"No person who plants running bamboo or who allows running bamboo to be planted on his or her property shall permit such bamboo to grow beyond the boundaries of his or her property. On and after October 1, 2013, any person who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be liable for any damages caused to any neighboring property by such bamboo, including, but not limited to, the cost of removal of any running bamboo that grew beyond the boundaries of his or her property."

The following is excerpted from an AP release:

The new law creates setbacks from property lines and containment requirements for those who plant the fast-growing plant. It also requires retail sellers to provide information to people who purchase the variety of bamboo, including methods to contain it. The legislation is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1.

Local zoning enforcement officers and other staff will have the authority to enforce the new restrictions. Failure to comply with the law could result in a $100 fine.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Other Resources:

CT Senate Bill 1016, Public Act 13-82 (full text of the new law)

WTNH News Report

CT Legislative Research Report

Mulch and Nursery Stock: Infestation Risks

Two often overlooked sources of oriental bittersweet infestation are mulch and nursery stock. This subject came up at a recent discussion among several Bittersweet Battlers and it was remarkable how common the problem is.

Mulch:

The problem occurs when the mulch being applied to a garden or around trees and shrubs is of low quality and contains "whatever went into the chipper." This can include bittersweet vines with seeds intact. The seeds can survive the chipping process and will appear in the spring as seedlings.

Many property owners allow their landscape or tree service to chip cut wood on site and blow it into a "mulch pile" which is then used around the yard. Any bittersweet berries that were in the debris will cause problems.

Even when bittersweet is disposed of in the brush pile at the landfill, if there are berries on the vines they can end up in the "free mulch" pile after brush is run through the chipper. When that happens the free mulch is no bargain.

Several Bittersweet Battlers have also noted persistent bittersweet infestations that originated in mulched areas on the grounds of commercial properties. This can be a problem when property managers and/or landscape service providers don't spot the infestation or don't know how to identify oriental bittersweet.

You may never quite be sure if your oriental bittersweet came from a passing bird or from infested mulch because mulch is typically spread under trees and shrubs frequented by birds.

The lessons are: Know where your mulch came from, and avoid mulch that was chipped from land clearing debris. Be especially careful of material that was chipped after mid-July. If the chips are from your own property be sure no berry-laden bittersweet goes into the chipper. Use high quality mulch. Poor quality mulch attracts insects and promotes disease. Putting down too much mulch ("mulch volcanos") will ultimately damage trees.

Nursery Stock:

Some nursery growing areas are infested with oriental bittersweet. As a result when plants are dug and balled there can be bittersweet seeds, plants or root segments that can sprout when you plant the tree or shub on your property. As you plant any new tree or shub look for the telltale orange roots of oriental bittersweet and gently pull them loose if you can, without damaging the tree or shrub's root system. Check the new plant periodically for any oriental bittersweet sprouts.

Hartford Courant Publicizes 9/28/13 Work Day

Peter Marteka of The Hartford Courant published an excellent article on the Glastonbury Partners in Planting "Battling Bittersweet" Work Day scheduled for September 28, 2013 at Riverfront park. Thanks Peter!

Link to the article here.

Link to Work Day volunteer registration information here.

August Invasives Journal

There were three very noticeable developments with Glastonbury's damaging plants as August came to an end:

First, the Japanese knotweed is in full bloom and you can see it along the road in many areas. This is a highly invasive plant (see earlier post on Japanese knotweed, and YouTube video for more info). Here's what to look for in late August and early September:

Next, invasive oriental bittersweet berries are starting to turn from green to orange. If you cut bittersweet vines with berries any time after mid-July be sure to dispose of the vines somewhere the seeds will not germinate and appear in the spring as seedlings. These berries have matured enough to have viable seeds:

 

Finally, wild grape vine (not an invasive plant but can be destructive to trees) is showing its "tree carpet" appearance in areas where growth is unmanaged:

It's never too late to start managing invasives on your property!

CT Invasive Plant News: Five Stars!

Everyone interested in learning more about invasive plants and how to deal with them should sign up for the CT Invasive Plant News. It's a "must have" e-mail subscription.

Published by Logan Senack, Connecticut Invasive Plant Coordinator, under the auspices of the UCONN Department of Plant Sciences, CT Invasive Plant News is delivered by e-mail and contains great information and links regarding invasive plants in Connecticut. It also provides information on meetings and seminars on invasive plants, eradication projects, and the latest developments on techniques to fight invasive plants. There is no cost to subscribe.

To sign up, click on the following link and follow the instructions on the CIPWG home page: CT Invasive Plant News Sign-up

Berries and Birds

Fall is in the air. The leaves are just beginning to change color and the bittersweet berries are turning from green to yellow.  Soon they’ll burst out of their golden pods and the bright reddish orange berries will be very eye catching, attracting some hungry birds as well as some humans who don’t realize how dangerous those little colorful berries from the choking vines can be to the environment.

Not only do the bittersweet vines kill trees, but they also displace native plants and ground covers that are much more nutritious for birds. By removing the many bittersweet vines during our Work Day at Riverfront Park we’ll be allowing the native plants to begin regrowth.  One of the park’s native plants is Elderberry. Another is Chokeberry. Both have lots of antioxidants and are very nutritious for our avian friends.

 

If you have not yet signed up for the Work Day please go to gpipworkday.blogspot.com and pre-register. The event will be on September 28, 2013 at Riverfront Park.

Do birds need to depend on bittersweet berries as a food source?  Usually not unless it’s an extraordinarily cold winter and the birds can’t find other more nutritious berries to eat. Most birds instinctively look for berries that are high in fat content as well as antioxidants. Bayberry is one of their favorites; it’s like the Big Mac of plants with 50% fat. Bittersweet berries have very little fat and practically no antioxidants.

Also, bittersweet berries are solid and not easy for birds to digest. In fact most of the bittersweet berry is still intact when it’s excreted from a bird so it re-sprouts elsewhere in the spring.  Sadly for the native birds, when it’s very cold they don’t want to expend a lot of energy foraging for food. So, if they see that bright red berry they’ll eat it but it’s like us eating a stick of celery. It doesn’t go far to keep them warm. 

It now appears that more and more song birds that rely on berries and bugs are staying north for the winter. Since most do not frequent bird feeders, such as the robin, mocking bird, catbird and bluebird, they constantly search for berries so you might see them eating the bittersweet berries in desperation. 

 

If it were not for the bittersweet invasion birds would have a far greater variety of much more nutritious food so get rid of the bittersweet and grow plants such as bayberry, elderberry, chokeberry, high bush blueberry, dogwood, winterberry, viburnum and many others (see link on "Other Resouces" page)..

 

Interestingly, the 2 most common birds to eat the invasive bittersweet berries are the European Starling and the English House Sparrow. Both are invasive birds eating invasive berries!

Thanks to bird lover Ann P for authoring this excellent post!

Oriental bittersweet berries are a last resort for bluebirds and other winter song birds
since the berries have very little nutritional value.

Reality Check: Help Needed!

The Glastonbury Partners in Planting "Battling Bittersweet" Group consists of about a dozen volunteers who form the steering committee, and another ten faithful volunteers who have said they'll help as needed. That's it. Glastonbury is a town of about 35,000 people in a 52 square mile area that has a significant oriental bittersweet problem. We are geographically one of the largest towns in the state.

When you do the math it is quickly apparent that even with support from Town authorities we are overwhelmingly outpaced by the growing problem with invasives, especially oriental bittersweet. Continuing at the current number of active volunteers against a rapidly increasing problem will not result in a noticeable difference in terms of reducing damage to trees and beneficial plants.

Our volunteers are happy to do what we can so this isn't a complaint. It's more of a word of caution and warning. More help is needed. This blog outlines some of the ways that could happen.

Somehow there needs to be an effective wake-up call that can rally more support, if enough people in town really want to make a difference. That "want" must translate into many more people taking action.

GPIP advocates a community-wide effort, bringing together interested people and organizations, working to educate residents, and inspiring far more citizens to volunteer to help. More people, better organized.

If you want to help go to www.gpip.org If you want to volunteer for our Work Day on 9/28/13 go to http://gpipworkday.blogspot.com/  If you know influential people in town, ask them how they are helping solve the problem.

If you are reading this blog THANK YOU. It means you care enough to take the time to learn about this problem. If you have not already, please get involved in the solution.

Oriental Bittersweet Berry Ripening Accelerated After Vine Cutting?

A recent (8/14/13) visit to the Riverfront Park Work Day site revealed a remarkable contrast between oriental berry development on vines that were cut a week ago to create site access paths and vines that have not been cut yet.

Berries on uncut vines are slowly turning from a bright lime green to a "pea soup" green as the slow ripening process occurs. The berries will show much greater ripening and color change in September as fall approaches.

But berries on cut vines have quickly ripened, with the shells already opened to reveal bright orange berries!


Above: Accelerated ripening of berries a week after vine cutting. GPIP photo taken 8/14/13.

This observation reinforces the need to try to cut vines by mid-July before the berries are capable of ripening, dropping and becoming seedlings in the spring. It also underscores the need for careful vine disposal if mature vines bearing seeds are cut later in the summer because even if the seeds are green when the vine is cut, they can quickly ripen and re-infest the site or the disposal location.

OMG! Monster Grapevine/Bittersweet Hybrid Discovered?

Is this the new Frankenvine? Have workers at the new boat ramp construction site unwittingly uncovered a prehistoric monster-vine? Or are we just suffering from vine paranoia? YOU be the judge!

Above: Bizarre hybrid vine discovered at Riverfront Park.
After inspecting the vine closely local botanist Itsa Mooringcable, PhD, said,
"I'm totally stumped but one thing is for sure, it is what it is."

What Are Other Communities Doing?

We are not alone................

As GPIP researches ways to wage the oriental bittersweet war and stop tree damage in Glastonbury we have contacted, and been contacted by representatives of other like-minded groups in other communities faced with the same problem.

The good news is that an increasing number of communities are discussing the problem. Some are actively attacking it. The bad news? We are among a very small minority. Most towns are doing little to nothing. That will change; there is little choice but to act, or face massive tree and native vegetation loss in the years ahead.

Here are a few links (click on the town name) to other communities and what they're doing:

Asheville, NC: Asheville Greenworks is one of the best role models in the country, with a very active and enthusiastic community base that has joined together to battle invasive plants.

Aspetuck Land Trust : Land trust organization focusing on Easton, Weston, Westport, Fairfield, CT.

Denville, NJ: The Protect Our Wetlands, Water and Woods is a large, active volunteer organization that sponsors community-wide action.

Litchfield County, CT: The Mad Gardeners organization is a major driver of invasive control projects in Litchfield County.

Mansfield, CT: The Mansfield Parks and Recreation Department oversees the "Friends of Mansfield Parks," an organization that empowers and educates individuals and organizations to preserve, restore, and protect native plant and animal communities of Mansfield; to promote quality stewardship, and to inspire people to act with conservation values and environmental ethics. The Natural Areas Volunteers (NAV) is Mansfield's volunteer corps that includes stewards, co-stewards, workday volunteers, and wildlife monitors. These volunteers help to restore and maintain Mansfield's parks/preserves.

Plainville, CT: Looking for volunteers to help clear bittersweet and other invasives.

Norfolk, CT: We have established an informal information-sharing effort with the Conservation Commission in Norfolk. Take a look at their web site and their very innovative "Invasive Plant Exchange" program, where residents can pull up and swap certain invasive plants for more beneficial native plants.

Southington, CT: Town walking tour to come up with a plan to tackle invasive plants on town land.

"Landscape Restoration" Glastonbury Style

The Society of Ecological Restoration defines "landscape restoration" as, "assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed." In a global context this can include massive projects such as rainforest restoration and reclamation of large mining sites.

Here in Glastonbury our landscape restoration needs are a bit different! The most widespread and challenging landscape damage is done by invasive plants, with oriental bittersweet being the chief culprit causing extensive tree damage all over town. Loss of trees and loss of light caused by blankets of smothering vines and foliage has degraded, damaged or destroyed the native ecosystem in many infested areas of town.

So "landscape restoration Glastonbury style" consists of identifying plants that are damaging the landscape, properly removing and disposing of them, following up by restoring a more beneficial landscape, and preventing the regrowth of damaging species.

A growing trend in communities facing this challenge is that landscape services and arborists are beginning to offer professional "landscape restoration" services in addition to the usual mowing, edging, tree work, and so on. This is typically offered as a specific add-on service that will prevent or identify and remove invasive plants on a given property.

This trend has yet to emerge in Glastonbury but the need is certainly here, the demand will grow, and the smart companies will educate themselves and take the lead. That may sound overly optimistic but is there anybody who thinks we are not in dire need of more professionals who are qualified and marketing services in this area?

The big question is, "How does the property owner know the service provider is qualified?" Most property owners know very little about invasive plants and are unable to identify them, so they don't even know there is a problem until they see the vines growing up into their trees.

To help customers identify a qualified "landscape restoration" service provider some towns and states have created training and certification programs to educate companies offering landscape restoration services in the necessary plant identification information, legal requirements, removal and disposal procedures, and steps to take after initial removal.

One of the GPIP "Battling Bittersweet" Group's winter activities will be to work with local landscapers, state experts and others to create educational resources and if at all possible, a certification program.

Much of Glastonbury's 52 square miles is managed by landscape companies at the direction of home and landowners. For that reason we are convinced that a big part of controlling landscape damage depends on creating a new partnership between landowners and service providers that will focus on better prevention, identification and control of invasives as well as keeping the grass green and shrubs trimmed.

Landscape companies and arborists interested in helping develop an invasive plant management training and/or certification program are invited to contact Glastonbury Partners in Planting via e-mail at information@gpip.org

UPDATE! Mile-A-Minute Invasive Vine Spotted in Glastonbury

UPDATE: On August 14th members of GPIP, the Conservation Commission, and the Town Environmental Planner joined Logan Senack at the Great Pond Preserve in South Glastonbury, where we did in fact find mile-a-minute vine. It has also been spotted on private property off Old Maids Lane.

Logan Senack, CT Invasive Plant Coordinator at the UCONN Department of Plant Science, reports that there have been two confirmed locations in Glastonbury with infestations of "mile-a-minute" vine. This is an extremely invasive vine that originated in Asia and was first reported growing in the wild in Pennsylvania in the 1930's. It has been creeping its way northward ever since.

This vine grows extremely rapidly, as the name implies. It will quickly cover native plants, depriving them of light and killing them.


Mile-A-Minute (MAM) vine. Note triangular leaf and distinctive round ocrea where the main
leaves attach to the vine. The vine also has small thorns. These 3 characteristics (triangular
leaf, existence of ocrea, and thorns on the vine are the identifiers of mile-a-minute vine.
(Renee Sullivan photo)

Detailed information on how to identify the plant is at the following: Mile-A-Minute Species Identification Page. The Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group (CIPWG) Fact Sheet provides further information.

A mile-a-minute web site has also been established which provides detailed information on spotting the vine and how to report it if you see it: CT Mile-A-Minute Vine Web Site
Here is a link directly to the Early Detection Reporting Form

Together we can work to limit the damage potential of invasive plants in our town! 

"Battling Bittersweet" Work Day, 9/28/13: It's Official!

Thanks to Ray Purtell and Greg Foran at the Glastonbury Parks and Recreation Department, Glastonbury Partners in Planting's proposal to hold a bittersweet eradication work day at Riverfront Park has been accepted! In addition to authorizing us to work on the site Parks and Rec will assist with the preparation of the site and with various tasks associated with the effort.

The Work Day will be held on September 28th, 2013 at Riverfront Park (200 Welles Street). Rain date is 10/5/13.

We need volunteers to help! The Work Day will be broken into two 3-hour shifts, from 9 to 12, and from 1 to 4. Volunteers may select the most convenient shift, and are asked to pre-register so we can form work teams.

For more details on the Work Day and for information on pre-registration please go to the BATTLING BITTERSWEET WORK DAY site.

Hope to see you there!

CIPWG Support Proposal: ACCEPTED!

Our June 10th post mentioned Glastonbury Partners In Planting's proposal to the Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group (CIPWG), requesting assistance for our September 28, 2013 "Battling Bittersweet" Work Day at Riverfront Park.

Today we received word from Donna Ellis that our Work Day has been selected as one that CIPWG will be supporting!

This is great news! It means CIPWG will be helping to spread the word about our work day by publicizing the event to its large network of experienced bittersweet battlers. CIPWG's help will be in addition to our own GPIP volunteers and volunteer workers from the Glastonbury community.

Together we can make it a fun and highly successful event, and establish a model for future efforts to control the spread of damaging invasives in town.

Click here for more information on the Connecticut Invasive Plants Working Group.

Click here for more information on volunteering for the GPIP "Battling Bittersweet" Work Day.

Tree-Killing Snake Discovered in Glastonbury!

A rare tree-killing pythonidae celastrus orbiculatus was captured recently by local artist David Magee, who brought the snake to The Glastonbury Citizen.


Above: Artist David Magee with the Glastonbury pythonidae celastrus orbiculatus, now on exhibit
at the Audubon Center. Photo used with permission of the artist and The Glastonbury Citizen.

The snake has since been turned over to the local CT Audubon Society Center at 1361 Main Street for display. Known for its ability to freeze in one position for days when frightened, collection curator Sally Warbler is thrilled with the new acquisition, "It's scared all the time thanks to the many school children who visit. We don't even need a cage and so far it hasn't eaten any food. It's a great fit with our operating budget."


Above: Olivia Vennaro, a local resident and a summer intern at the CT Audubon Society Center
discourages the rare tree-killing snake from attacking nearby trees during its daily
exercise session. Olivia is a biology major at Skidmore College.

Pythonidae celastrus orbiculatus mimics the appearance and behavior of an invasive vine thus its common name "oriental bittersweet python." It is also called "laid-back snake" for it's extremely slow movements. "They're the sloths of the snake family," says herpetologist Egbert Souse, "Completely harmless to humans unless it mistakes you for a tree. The laid-back snake attacks and kills trees because they're the only living organism they can catch."

Souse's advice for handling an encounter with the oriental bittersweet python in the Glastonbury woods? "Doing the hokey-pokey or the Carlton shows them you're not a tree. The combination of dance movements and loud singing always sends them packing, although it may take a few months to see the results." he claims. "But don't do La Macarena, that just gets them mad."

Bittersweet Factories- A Major Problem

Most well-informed Glastonbury homeowners are able to keep oriental bittersweet at bay through regular control methods. But no amount of vigilance can prevent the reappearance of new seedlings in the spring. It can leave you wondering where the seeds come from, especially if you and your neighbors control oriental bittersweet growth before it reaches the level of maturity necessary to produce berries and seeds. You look around and think, "Where's this stuff coming from?"

The answer is simple- Bittersweet Factories.

A "bittersweet factory" is a land area, usually 1/2 acre or more, that has not been managed to control oriental bittersweet infestation. Typically there is no residence or business on the property so it is a case of "out of sight, out of mind" allowing an absentee property owner to ignore the problem. The land may be slated for eventual development so there is no motivation for the owner to invest in managing the natural area.

It only takes 5 years or so for vines to climb trees, mature, and turn into a wooded area into an out-of-control bittersweet factory. Some of the bittersweet factories in town have been producing hundreds of thousands if not millions of berries for 30 years and more. The berries are carried all over town by birds. They pass through the bird's digestive system and are dropped, undamaged and ready to come up in the spring as seedlings.

It's easy to spot a bittersweet factory in the winter after the leaves have fallen, by the hundreds of vines hanging from the trees. The older the bittersweet factory the more pronounced the tree damage is.

How dense is berry development in a bittersweet factory? The following picture, taken in late June, shows an area about 3' by 5' in a large bittersweet factory several acres in size. Imagine how many berries this "factory" produces. No wonder seedlings appear everywhere in the spring!

 

The proof that nobody escapes the Bittersweet Reaper? Even the shrubs in the median of the McDonalds parking lot are sprouting oriental bittersweet! (see below):

 

How can large bittersweet factories be managed to limit damage to the rest of the town? The simplest step is to cut the mature vines. This won't stop additional vines from coming up but it will stop the development of additional berries on the cut vines.

 

The purpose of this post is to encourage "bittersweet factory" owners to take steps to stop berry development by cutting as many mature vines as possible. This one step will dramatically reduce the spread of bittersweet to your neighbors and across the town.

The Bittersweet Challenge (Living On Earth, 6/8/12)

Here's a link to an excellent radio program from 6/8/12 about oriental bittersweet and a forester's "Bittersweet Challenge" to find the largest oriental bittersweet vine in Massachusetts. The contest ran through 8/12 and the winning vine was over 7" in diameter!

The Bittersweet Challenge- Radio Broadcast and Transcript

Rules For Lincoln Bell's 2012 Bittersweet Challenge

Is it time for a Glastonbury Bittersweet Challenge??? Don't throw that monster vine away yet!

"Glastonbury Life" Oriental Bittersweet Article, July 2013

The July issue of "Glastonbury Life" published an excellent article concerning the oriental bittersweet problem in town. It also featured the actions being sponsored by Glastonbury Partners in Planting and some helpful tips provided by the town Tree Warden.

There is also a very insightful an Editorial commentary on page 61.

You can read each by clicking on the applicable link:

"Glastonbury Life" Oriental Bittersweet Article, July 2013

"Glastonbury Life" Oriental Bittersweet Editorial, July 2013

Thanks to "Glastonbury Life" and Nancy Thompson, Editor, for supporting the cause!

New Favorite Bittersweet-Fighting Tool

Property owners lucky enough to have only a small, new oriental bittersweet infestation, who spot it and act early are well-rewarded. They can stop the spread by pulling new seedlings and vines, treating if appropriate, and with a little periodic re-checking the area they can count themselves among the fortunate few who never have to bring out the heavy artillery (all those tools you see in horror movies or in mob movies to get people to talk).

This post is for the rest of us, the less fortunate, who regularly need to haul out the loppers to fight a larger infestation. We're constantly lurking in the garden tool aisle of the hardware store searching for anything that might make the job easier, faster and less back-breaking.

This site does not endorse products or make comparisons. That said, the editorial we recently purchased a Fiskars Pruning Stik (their spelling) because it looking like it might fill a spot in the tool inventory somewhere between pruning shears and loppers. Fiskars has made this product for at least 10 years and Amazon buyers currently rate it 4.7 stars out of a possible 5 (we purchased it locally).

The tool is 62" long  and weighs only 1.9 pounds. They also make a longer, slightly heavier extendable version. The tradeoff for the light weight is that the Pruning Stik appears to be somewhat lightly made and less durable than a good pair of loppers. It also has more moving parts to potentially break. There may be comparable products that are better or worse. As always, do your own homework.

So the question is, what does this do that you can't do with the loppers or pole trimmer you already have?

Here's the big advantage. This is definitely a back-saver. The Stik has a "bypass lopper" type head that can be adjusted 230 degrees (according to Fiskars). That and the long reach make it extremely easy to cut a vine near ground level with no bending whatsoever. And because this is a stick it is very easy to get the head right to where you want to cut. There is no external rope to get tangled in things so it is much easier to use than a rope-pull pole pruner/saw. It has no provision for attaching a saw blade but there's no real need for it.

The weight and size make it a tool you can easily bring along on a maintenance walk and not feel like you're dragging along a heavy or oddly shaped tool. And of course there is the reach (both down and up, as well as into a tree), which you can't easily get with loppers.

Tried it out today and it cut a 1" black birch sapling at the base with ease. Black birch is pretty soft compared to oak or maple but harder than a bittersweet vine of the same diameter. So this should handle most maintenance-type vine cutting tasks with less effort and bending compared to loppers. Fiskars says it's good "up to 1 1/4".

Don't throw away your loppers, they should still be your standard go-to tool for heavy duty lopping work. But the Pruning Stik appears to be something to consider for that quick walk around the property where you want to "reach out and cut something" without the back-bending and effort that goes with loppers.

The 62" model retails for about $50 and the extendable version for about $100. They are available for less (mine was $43 and change). We'll see how long it holds up but in terms of making a necessary job easier on the back the difference was like night and day.

Above: 62" "Pruning Stik" weighs only 1.9 pounds. Reflective tape has been added, it doesn't come that way from Fiskars (makes the tool easier to find when you leave it in the woods; go back at dusk with a flashlight and look for the glow!). 

Above: Easily cuts vines without bending down.

If you have any surgeon-installed hardware in your back this is priceless. 

Above: Reaches overhead into a tight spot very easily. 

 

Here are a few video links showing the tool in use:

Fiskars Video       North Coast Gardening Review





Partners Wanted, Must Be Willing to Fight Invasive Plants

Glastonbury Partners in Planting is looking for other like-minded groups and organizations who want to help fight the local invasive plant problem, in particular oriental bittersweet.

By forming broader partnerships, sharing knowledge and pooling resources we can make this a true community-wide effort to address a community-wide problem. The problem may be here to stay but we can work together to minimize its spread and damage. The alternative (doing nothing) is unthinkable to everyone who appreciates the town's natural beauty.

There are many garden, nature, and conservation groups in Glastonbury who are concerned about the damage being done to our trees and landscape by oriental bittersweet. Many businesses in town have an interest in seeing the problem contained. Various groups who use town parks (baseball teams, etc.) are also concerned and at least one team has already worked with the town to help out at Riverfront Park.

By joining together we can make our collective efforts much more efficient and effective, inspire more community involvement, and help control the problem in more areas.

We invite interested groups to join the effort beginning with our planned work day in September. If you belong to a club, organization, team, group or business interested in helping on the work day or with the 2014 overall invasive plant strategy let us know! Please contact information@gpip.org 

Oriental Bittersweet: What's the Problem?

The June 20th issue of The Glastonbury Citizen included Glastonbury Partners in Planting's letter thanking those who attended the June 5th Walking Tour and announcing the new Invasive Plants blog (which you are viewing now).

If this is your first visit, welcome! For new visitors this post will take a step back in time to revisit the basic questions that started all of this: "What are those vines that are killing the trees, and how bad is the problem?" Here are two videos that answer these questions.

What's the Problem? The following video may look familiar if you have ever crossed the Putnam Bridge between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. It captures the devastation that oriental bittersweet vines cause to trees and the landscape in general. This area is used here as an example but the problem is everywhere in Glastonbury as well as the state and much of the country. It is spreading rapidly. Note that the videos below can be enlarged to full screen by clicking on the square size icon in the lower right corner of the viewing window; at the end of the video exit full screen by hitting "Esc" on your keyboard.

What exactly is oriental bittersweet? Below is the oriental bittersweet video from our June 5th Invasive Plant Walking Tour at Riverfront Park (the same area featured in the video above). Keep in mind as you watch this video that this is a community problem. It is everywhere. The only reason we featured Riverfront Park is because it is a public area and the town is so supportive of this effort.

 

To watch all of the videos from the Walking Tour, scroll down to the bottom of this page to a link to the full video playlist.

 

For more information about Glastonbury Partners in Planting click on the "About" tab just below the blog title at the top of this page.



Oriental Bittersweet: Here Come The Berries

It's June 20th, a beautiful day to live in Glastonbury, and the oriental bittersweet vines are beginning to develop their fruit. It first appears as small green berries along the vine where the leaves attach. As these berries mature they will become the distinctive bright red berries in the orange husks that you see in the late summer and fall. Don't use oriental bittersweet for holiday wreaths and decorating because it will just spread the infestation when the berries drop from the vines.



Bittersweet seeds develop inside these berries. When the mature berries are eaten by birds the seed portion of the berry passes through the bird's digestive system undamaged and is later (for lack of a better term) pooped out, fully viable and ready to develop wherever it happens to fall. Or if not eaten the fruit simply drops from the vine to the ground. Either way it will appear the following year as a new seedling.

This is a major reason to cut oriental bittersweet vines ahead of the maturation of the berries. Once cut and deprived of nutrients the above-ground portion of the cut vine will die. Immature berries will also die before becoming viable, although nutrients already in the vine can continue the maturation process for a short period after vines have been cut. The preferred window of time for cutting vines will be closing as we get into mid-summer. If you can, get out there and do your cutting ahead of the berries maturing.

Cutting vines with mature fruit on them is still worthwhile but the vines will drop viable seeds unless you pull the vines down with the berries intact and dispose of the debris in a manner that prevents the berries from developing into next year's crop of seedlings.

Always carefully inspect trees before cutting any vines that have grown up into a tree. Look for power lines, unsafe branches, weaknesses in the tree itself, and vines that may have crossed into other nearby trees. When in doubt, hire a professional. Pulling the vines too hard can damage tree limbs or worse, bring a hidden branch or entire tree down on your head. Be careful and if some gentle tugging doesn't work, leave it. The vine will die and eventually fall out of the tree on its own. All the more reason to deal with oriental bittersweet well before it gets up into the trees.

Oriental Bittersweet: The Cost of Neglect

As mentioned in the 5/23/13 Glastonbury Citizen article, it pays to tackle any oriental bittersweet growth as early and quickly as possible. Once the root system is established and spreads out the battle becomes much more demanding and drawn out. Whether you select a chemical or mechanical approach or a combination, the same rule applies: the sooner you deal with it the more work and cost you'll save yourself in the long run.

How much work and cost?

One GPIP member has been addressing a serious infestation on land purchased several years ago. The prior owner did not understand they had a problem and just thought the property was "overgrown."

Our GPIP member has worked on the problem every year since the purchase. When the subject of "the cost of neglect" came up our bittersweet battler went to his truck (specifically bought for hauling bittersweet vine debris and trees killed by the vines to the town landfill) and added up the landfill receipts for just April thru mid-June this year:

• Professional tree service (take down large dead tree): $439.01;
• (18) round-trips to the town landfill totaling over 300 miles;
• Over $500.00 for permit fee and load charges;
• Over 14,500 pounds of debris (that's over 7 tons).

There's a small slice of the cost of neglect. The work will continue thru 2013 and probably well into 2014 before things can finally shift from "consequences of neglect" to "normal maintenance" mode.

Inspecting a property regularly and dealing with small, new infestations is within almost anyone's physical capability and budget. But the picture changes dramatically after years or decades of neglect. This is the battle we all share as a community, beginning in our own yards.

Glastonbury Citizen Article (5/23/13) Response

The response to GPIP's front page Glastonbury Citizen article on oriental bittersweet and poison ivy has been very encouraging! Jim Hallas, Publisher/Editor of The Glastonbury Citizen shared the following:

"I think you've started something here. 

I've had more response on bittersweet than I've had on the board of education budget!"

Guess that means we'll be seeing more letters to the editor in coming issues. Anything that keeps the subject in front of people is going to help.

If you missed the article a copy is on the Media Articles page of this blog. For more information on The Glastonbury Citizen, including how to subscribe, go to http://www.glcitizen.com/index.html

Poison Ivy: Oriental Bittersweet's Partner in Crime

It's mid-June in Glastonbury and poison ivy is approaching its full glory. While poison ivy is a native plant therefore not invasive, it can sure be a nuisance. If you look for infestations of oriental bittersweet there is an excellent chance of finding poison ivy standing guard, complicating the process of cutting, treating, or removing the oriental bittersweet.

The most important rule of poison ivy is know what it looks like. Everybody has heard the poison ivy rhymes: Leaves of three, let them be; hairy vine, no friend of mine; and berries white, run in fright. This post will provide a few pictures to put with the rhymes.

The second rule is do your homework. There are abundant resources that will tell you about precautions to take such as barrier creams, clothing to wear, how to work around poison ivy, risks and consequences, how to wash up afterward, washing clothing that has been in contact with poison ivy, how to avoid getting poison ivy from pets that have been into it, what to do when you do get poison ivy, and so on. You have to know what you're doing otherwise the consequences can be very unpleasant at best and put you in the hospital at worst. If you work outside and don't have a product like Tecnu (poison ivy wash) buy it now.

A few helpful links are provided on the Resources page of this blog. Here's a tip most experts don't tell you: You can put on your protective gloves and clothing and follow all the rules. Things will be great until you forget you've been touching poison ivy and smack that mosquito on your face or scratch your nose with your gloved hand. You might as well do it with a poison ivy leaf because the poison ivy oils (urushiol) on your gloves will transfer to your skin. So don't do that! Same with shoe laces. If you tramp around in poison ivy then remove your gloves to untie your boot laces, those laces have probably been rubbing against poison ivy. Everybody's happy until somebody starts itching!

Finally, none of the above matters if you don't look first. Seeing poison ivy after you've been standing in it is a very bad feeling, especially if you didn't follow the second rule. Always be on the lookout for poison ivy and spot it before you're in it.

The following pictures cover poison ivy vine and leaf development from April thru June:


Above: New vine growth in early April. Leaves usually begin reddish then turn green.
 

Above: More new growth, April.
 



Above: Same new growth in May, turning green.
 

Above: New growth in April, attaching to granite ledge.
 



 Above: Same new growth in May.
 

Above: Poison ivy vine pulled away from tree trunk. Note hairy tendrils on vine.

 

Above: Close-up of tendrils on poison ivy vine.

All parts of a poison ivy plant can release urushiol, including the vine and root system.

 

Above: Classic poison ivy leaf pattern, with three leaflets (early June).
The stem on the center leaflet is the longest of the three.

Color will change to oranges and reds in the fall.
 

 Above: Closer view of what to look for. Three leaves attaching to stem at the same point. Note the side leaflets which are distinctly shaped ("side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens"). The distinct mitten shape may not be as pronounced as the plant above so don't assume a symmetrical side leaflet means it's not poison ivy (see some of the leaflets in photo below).
 

Above: Growing as a vine along with oriental bittersweet.

You don't want to brush up against this so look around you as well as at the ground!
 

 Above: Growing as a ground cover in shady area. Note slightly darker leaves.

Don't you wish your whole garden could look this healthy??
 

June 17: Here come the berries. They aren't white yet but you should still "run in fright."

Just don't fall into a poison ivy patch when you do.

Japanese Knotweed: What? Where?

It's easy to drive right by large incursions of Japanese knotweed and not realize what it is. The best primer on Japanese knotweed is the video from our June 5th walking tour, where Donna Ellis gave us the basics. Next time you drive down Welles St. or Naubuc Ave., see if you can spot it. Note how aggressive the growth is, the density of the incursion and how other plant growth is completely blocked out. Here are some hints to help you spot it, followed by a link to the walking tour video: