Plans are in the making to set aside
a day or week for members of the Tripp Lake community to literally pull
Purple Loosestrife from the shores of our lake. It flourishes from
mid-July through August, but the earlier it can be removed, the better.
The last week in July would be an ideal time frame.
Purple Loosestrife is an invasive
plant that replaces native plants on our shores and in shallow waters.
Its tall pinkish, purple flowers are attractive and many people hesitate
to remove it. The stem is square and is easily identified. It replaces
vegetation which is beneficial to the lake and its critters and can
easily overtake the shorelines if we don’t attempt to overtake it. The
florets must first be cut and dropped into a plastic bag, making sure
the thousands of seeds don’t scatter onto the ground. Then the stalks
should be cut near the bottom or stalks and root ball dug out and also
bagged. Care should be taken not to leave broken roots in the ground or
they’ll re-root and redouble the following year.
We plan to train people in
different areas of the lake to instruct others, and make it a lakewide
effort to permanently eliminate this unnecessary plant.
