Loosetrife Gains
Back Home Up Next

 

Up

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE MAKING GAINS

by Babs Shapiro

 That beautiful, beguiling plant, Purple Loosestrife, which blooms profusely around the shores of Tripp Lake in late summer, is an invasive plant which must be cut and removed before it completely engulfs the lake.  It replaces native plants which are beneficial to the lake and its critters. The plant is tall, sometimes growing to 6 feet or more, is topped by a spiky, pinkish-purple flower and has a four-sided stem.  The flowers should be cut over a plastic bag so seeds do not scatter, then the stem either pulled (if it can be done easily) or cut at its base and bagged. 

 A few years ago, several TLIA members, under the guidance of an Americorps volunteer, conducted a survey of Purple Loosestrife around the lake.  The volunteers, binoculars, paper and pencil in hand, toured the whole shoreline, viewing where it grew most thickly and approximating a count of the plants.  From this information, a map was drawn, detailing areas of growth.  The thickest growth was on the eastern shore, from Bridges Beach all the way to the northern area, near the cove.   A large area of growth was also noted on the shores of the Tripp Lake Camp , near the Island, and a scattering of it in other areas.

 The following year, a few of us attempted to educate and help people identify and remove the plants from their properties.  However, we’ve gotten lax, and the plant is gaining on us.  An informal Loosestrife survey performed by my grandson, Drew Rothfus, and myself in mid-August, saw an increase in plants in the same areas.   Hundreds of plants were in bloom.

 A small handout, designed by Betty and Gene Fuller, describes the plant, how to identify it and other invasive plants. If you don’t have a copy, contact Linda Laskey…it’s a must for your camps.

 Next year, we plan to conduct another survey and then actively pursue an eradication process.  It must be done yearly until it disappears.  In some areas of the country, it has grown beyond bounds and seems to have taken over.  Please don’t let it happen to us.