Purple Loosestrife towers over Charlotte Webber (Aug.,
2000) |
Six enthusiastic Purple
loosestrife "terminators" met at Bridges Beach on August 15
to conduct a lake survey of this invasive plant.. Under the
supervision of Americorps volunteer Susan Redmond, Charlie Rodway and
Ron Getchell volunteered their boats and time as did surveyors Jack
Quinn, Claudie Getchell and Babs Shapiro.
Three to a boat, they divided the lake into sectors,
identifying and counting plants in each sector. The results will be
detailed on a lake map which will serve as a resource for eliminating the
plant from Tripp Lake. Thousands of them were counted. |
| This tall plant with a squarish
stem and topped with purplish-pink flowers, is flourishing around the
lake. A "terrible beauty", many people are reluctant to remove
it. It does the lake no good and once established, it replaces native
species which are beneficial. |
Susan R. |
| When it first appears, the
blossoms must be carefully removed and the stems cut or uprooted. It’s
difficult to eradicate because each plant produces up to 2 million seeds;
it constantly reseeds itself. Nursery hybrids should not be purchased
for perennial gardens for they’re not necessarily sterile. They can
be cultivars and increase the problem. IN Virginia it’s illegal for
nurseries to sell purple loosestrife and other invasive species. |
|
Charlie R. |
The Board has decreed next
July-August, the blooming season for Purple Loosestrife, as
"eradicate this invasive plant" period. We’ll all be asked to
participate in eliminating it. |
|
More information will appear in the Spring
Newsletter. |
