Habitat Restoration

If you've been reading this Journal you probably have a very high awareness of invasive plants in Glastonbury. That's the first step in dealing with the problem- being able to identify invasive plants, understanding the damage they do, and knowing why it is so important to control and eradicate them.

The second step is learning how to get rid of them and taking action. This requires work and persistence.

The third step and perhaps most important is habitat restoration, which involves knowing what alternative plants need to be established. Habitat restoration assures food supply for birds and other animals and reduces the speed with which invasives will try to re-establish a foothold.

What if you don't own woodland or open field property? Do you still have habitat restoration opportunities on your nice Glastonbury residential property? Absolutely! Simply replacing invasive shrubs like Japanese barberry and winged euonymus ("burning bush") with non-invasive alternatives is a huge help. Stay ahead of new infestations of invasive plants like oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed and others so the habitat you provide on your property is as beneficial as it can be. CLICK HERE to go to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station's booklet on native alternatives.

Habitat restoration is a painstaking but rewarding process. It doesn't happen overnight and we can't eradicate invasive plants then assume nature will do the restoration. Nature needs our help because most invasive plant problems were caused by human importation. Now we need to help fix the problem and stop the damage.

CLICK HERE for an excellent BirdNotes story about grassland restoration in Maryland. Much of the comments about working over the long haul are very applicable to our efforts here in Glastonbury.

Bittersweet Toxicity and Horses

Glastonbury Partners in Planting was recently approached by an equine veterinarian organization requesting permission to use one of our invasive plant images in a campaign they are doing to publicize the equine toxicity risks of bittersweet.

Sounded like an interesting subject. A little research brought us to a great University of Idaho web site that provides more information. It covers bittersweet and a host of other invasive and native plants that are toxic to horses. CLICK HERE for this must-read for Glastonbury horse owners!


 Here's a link to the picture in Weed Images: 5507738

Ferry Landing Park "Partner Day" A Success!

Some of the fifteen volunteers who gathered at Ferry Landing Park. (GPIP photo)

Beautiful weather greeted the fifteen bittersweet battlers who convened at Ferry Landing Park on June 7th to cut oriental bittersweet vines. The goal of vine-cutting is to save trees by killing the strangling vines, eliminate the vine foliage that takes over the tree canopy, reduce weight on the tree which reduces wind, snow and ice damage, and stop development the hundreds of thousands of berries that would otherwise be produced and spread the infestation to other locations. This is especially important along the Connecticut River where invasive plants are a threat to the riparian trees that hold the soil along the riverbanks.

For this event Glastonbury Partners in Planting teamed up with the Land Heritage Coalition and Kongscut Land Trust, two Glastonbury conservation groups. We hope to revisit the site in the fall for a second Partner Day.

Kudos to the Fantastic Fifteen!!!   (click here for more pictures!)