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.