It is good to be reminded once in a while why we do the back-aching work of invasive species control. I've been out to "our" swamp in the woods of the Brighton Rec Area several times already this year, but I was not prepared for the burst of life I saw when Lori and I went out to pull garlic mustard yesterday. We have, it seems, hit our peak.
I have never seen trillium in the numbers I've seen this year. Whether that's due to the mild winter or a lack of deer browse or both I don't know. In the past they had generally been concentrated in one area, what we call Trillium Hill, with a smattering of plants in the surrounding area. This year though there's easily several acres of them, and we started to see them much farther up the trail as we were approaching the swamp. Jack-in-the-pulpit are extra plentiful too, as are wild geranium, which have just started to bloom in the higher, dryer areas along the trail.
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| Trilium Hill |
Here are some of the other reasons we manage this precious woodland area:
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| Early meadow rue |
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| Jack-in-the-pulpit |
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| Maidenhair fern, just beginning to unfurl |
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| Miter wort (better photo than my last post) |
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| Downy yellow violet |
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| Solomon seal |
There are many organizations that are in need of volunteers to help manage and restore lands. If you want to make a difference, Google "stewardship program" or "invasive species control" in your area, and get off the computer and out in the woods!
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