Saving the Parks from Invasive Plants
Native Spring Wildflowers (left to right) Virginia Blue Bells, Spring Beauties, Wild Ginger, Bloodroot and Trout Lily
Where have all the Natives Gone?
Invasive Plants have Crowded them Every One
Weed Warriors to the Rescue
LFWA is an active participant in the Montgomery Parks Weed Warrior Program. The Weed Warrior program is essential to freeing the parks of invasive, nuisance plants. These plants are crowding out the native bushes, ground cover and strangling our trees. Most are hard to reach with large landscaping equipment, so the only way to remove them is by hand. Certified Weed Warriors have logged more than 57,000 hours to date, and have made a valuable contribution to the control of non-native invasive vegetation in Montgomery County parks.
Opportunities to Free the Trees
LFWA Weed Warrior supervisors lead regular community work days to clean out invasive plants in the Little Falls Stream Valley Park, in Montgomery County Forest Conservation areas, on the State Highway Right of Way and on the Capital Crescent Trail.
LFWA also works with groups to plan special events. If you would like one of our Weed Warrior Supervisors to work with your group in the park, please contact us at info@LFWA.org.
Upcoming Invasive Removal Volunteer Events;
Become a Weed Warrior
Join over 800 MC citizens in learning how to identify and remove nuisance plants and become a Certified Weed Warrior. Only certified Weed Warriors (or participants in a Weed Warrior event) are allowed to pull plants from the parklands. Please visit the Montgomery Parks Weed Warrior Website for training times and locations.
Top Invasive Plants
Lesser Celandine, Porcelain Berry, Bush Honeysuckle, English Ivy, Mile a Minute, Japanese Honeysuckle, Multi-flora Rose - these are just some of the plants that we are working to eradicate. All quickly establish themselves in natural areas and crowd out the native plants. They may look pretty, but they have no nutritional value for birds and strangle our trees.
Weed Warriors in the Press
Members of LFWA were featured in a recent issue of American Forest. Click here to read the Winter 2011 article by Carrie Carrie Madren about fighting invasives in the nations forests and the important work that David Brooks and Lynnwood Andrews and other weed warriors are doing to save the forests on the Capital Crescent trail, the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and all over the country.