MILE-A-MINUTE INVADES MORRIS PARK

 

Persicaria perfoliata

When we see this plant, we are highly alarmed.  It has a horror quality to it. The way it grows, what it looks like, and what it does. Maybe in its native Asian habitat it is an elegant and necessary addition to a well-rounded ecosystem, but here it is a dangerous emerging invasive. We will describe it for you and tell you a story about how it has pulled us into the forest for the winter, creating a demand for our focus and attention on one very blighted area exemplifying urban park deforestation.

This annual Asian vine is considered an emerging invasive in Morris Park; however it is being spread rapidly and is occurring in the most disturbed areas of the park.  Along the southern portion of  the Eastern Branch of Indian Creek, where it appears soil has been transported from elsewhere out of necessity to fill in severely eroded streambanks, there is an especially dense invasion of this species, which we have made attempts at pulling out.  Being that it is an annual, just pulling the plant before it goes to seed is enough to make a difference, as long as all of the plants in a given area are pulled!

MILE-A MINUTE
MILE-A MINUTE

Note the triangular leaves of this very slender vine.  At each leaf node, where the leaf stem intersects with the vine, there is a small rounded collar that is pierced through by the vine giving it the perfoliata part of its Latin name.  Also of note is the prickly reflexed barbs that make this vine very unpleasant to come into contact with. The light and delicate habit of this vine, allows it to grow rapidly, and cover over shrubs and trees, especially in already degraded areas of forests, forest edges, and cleared areas along railroad tracks, roads, right of ways, etc. It is also being found in the forested areas of Morris Park, where it is most likely being transported by the increasingly abundant Deer population.

The vine enshrouds other plants, using their structures as a means to climb and reach sunlight, creating an unsightly mass of triangular leaves and barbed stems until there is nothing left to see but this plant.

 

Then come the berries, these juicy, attractive blue berries are the sole means of propagation. Birds could also be consuming and transporting the seeds contained within, to any location, including your own yard!  We find this vine in our yard every year.

If you see the seeds, remove and trash them.  The best control is close monitoring of at-risk sites and of course your own yard and uprooting of the plant before going to seed. This is a similar control method to Garlic Mustard, except you do not have to remove the plant if you get it early enough.

Mile-A-Minute
Mile-A-Minute

Keeping an eye out for emerging invasives such as Mile-A-Minute is an ongoing activity. However in some blighted areas so dense with invasives that they are impenetrable, detecting emerging invasives is difficult. This is a situation where a blighted area can become a source of more blight.  In one such area of Morris Park, an infestation of Mile-a-Minute was found after chopping through the thorny, dense thickets of the invasives Wineberry and Multiflora Rose.

These two species can pierce through clothing and skin, easily drawing blood, tearing clothes, and causing pain as well as itching and irritation. The Multiflora Rose has thorns that will grab, rip and penetrate clothing and skin, while the Wineberry has needle-like spines that can remain in your clothing and skin. These two species grow in thickets, with tall, arching growth habits, where the tip of the plants can actually root themselves several feet away. In an infestation, this behavior creates fence-like enclosures that are very difficult to enter.

IMG_7425Above is Mile-a-Minute that has been able to grow and produce seed. This is a picture of the ugly remains left behind.  We were physically unable to monitor this site by the thorny thickets  and visually obscured from it by the dense entanglement of Japanese Honeysuckle that has been choking the nearby bushes and small trees.  It took a really cold December day to get near these dormant plants and begin exploring what was growing in the area. The discovery of the Mile-a-Minute was disturbing to see. Enough is Enough. We had to do something about this mess!

Volunteer Isabelle Dijols removes Japanese Honeysuckle from Spicebush in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Volunteer Isabelle Dijols removes Japanese Honeysuckle from Spicebush in Morris Park, Philadelphia

The first order of business was to remove the Multi-flora Rose and the Wineberry by pulling them out of the ground with the help of digging tools and very thick gloves. These plants were then chopped up with clippers and scattered about, just off the site, so there is no big ugly pile of plant material left behind that will stifle the growth of native plants. The uprooted plants will then die on site and they will decompose back into the soil maintaining the bio-mass of the forest.

Then the Japanese Honeysuckle vines which were climbing up the small trees and shrubs and covering the ground in a dense matte were all pulled up as well.

Below is a ‘before’ picture of the site from the main trail.

Morris Park, Philadelphia
Morris Park, Philadelphia

Below is a picture of Wineberry, showing its spines, color and habit, all with the backdrop of the late December light.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Wineberry
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Wineberry

Below is the Multiflora Rose. The thorns on these branches are as sturdy as they look, firmly attached to the stiff plant, they have little give and lots of shredding power if moved across them at a hiking pace. Moving through a thicket of this is also an easy way to get ticks and become susceptible to Lyme Disease.  This is not an environment we want to have so close to the densely populated rowhouse neighborhood of Overbrook.

Multiflora Rose, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Multiflora Rose, Morris Park, Philadelphia

You can see how this plant creates an impenetrable thicket. The stems are as stiff as they look, the older ones with a woody stiffness. In a thicket, the criss-crossing of the stalks makes them even more like a barbed-wire fence.

Approaching the mechanical eradication of these plants, the outer portions are snipped down with a clippers until just about a foot remains above ground.  When all of the infestation is clipped down and the stalks are dispersed, than the lower portions can be removed from the ground by using digging tools to loosen the roots and then gently pulling  and tugging on the roots until most of them can be teased out of the ground. The plant will then die above ground.  Any portions of roots left in the ground may re-grow in the ensuing years, so the site will need to be monitored, as is usually the case in any eradication effort.

After the roots are removed, we intuitively put the soil back in place and cover it with leaves, with the idea to do as little disturbance as possible, only displacing what we absolutely must. It also looks better.

Often, a disturbed forest never looks right. It seems overcrowded and entangled or on the opposite side of the spectrum barren and depleted, depending on the blighting condition.  A healthy or restored forest has a ‘comfortable’ look to it: We can see the trees, the shrubs, and short plants growing along the forest floor. No one thing dominates the landscape. We could walk through it if we had to. We can see through it to an acceptable degree.

When we remove the invasives from an infested section of the Park, It looks better, and in just a few short years it looks great!

 

Tree-of -Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Tree-of -Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Our adventures clearing the invasive thicket revealed a whole series of other invasive trees and vines that were growing amidst the Multiflora Rose and the Wineberry. We encountered and removed close to 100 specimens of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) saplings and seedlings, Japanese Angelica tree (Aralia elata), and about 50 vines of English Ivy (Hedera helix).  These plants were removed by pulling and tugging, getting as much of the roots out as possible, and then placing them above ground , spread about  just off of the disturbed and currently-being-restored site, where they will die, their roots unable to reach soil.

Root of Tree-of -Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Root of Tree-of -Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Above is the root of the Tree-of -Heaven. As we work, we have learned to identify the plants we are saving and removing, from the leaves, the stems and the roots. As we move along through each species, they become more and more easy to distinguish.

The roots of the Ailanthus are very pale, and often have the 90 degree angle in saplings. The bark is smooth with a silvery-tan appearance and large, pale heart-shaped leaf-scars as shown the second picture above help distinguish this tree in its sapling stage.

This Ailanthus tree has such an iconic presence in the City Of Philadelphia, that it is easy to distinguish once you start focusing in on it. It always helps to consult with those in the know, like your local municipal authority and Parks and Rec official who may deal with problematic invasive species daily and is more than willing to educate you on the ones that grow in your area of concern.  In fact, we were not only educated about them, but The Philadelphia Parks and Rec Department took our Invasive tree problem so seriously that they came out and applied basal bark herbicide to the infestation of a maturing cluster of Tree-of-Heaven in the area that we are now working on.  These maturing trees were reaching forty feet in height and were throwing out thousands of seeds every year. The trees are now all dead and have fallen down. Now we have to monitor the site and pull out the hundreds of seedlings that sprout every year.

 

 

Root of Aralia elata, The Japanese Angelica Tree, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Root of Aralia elata, The Japanese Angelica Tree, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Above is the root of the Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata). This problematic invasive has also required the partnership with the Philadelphia dept of Parks and Recreation. Their application of Garlon4 ultra, around the base of the trees in February 2011 and 2012 has resulted in the death of these maturing trees, which were also producing thousands of seeds per year, and now there are the resulting thousands of seedlings growing, which we will have to be pulling for as long as we are able.

Once both of these species have reached maturity, it is very difficult to eradicate them manually, and the use of herbicides becomes necessary. The reason for this is that these trees develop large underground root systems that are capable of re-sprouting aggressively even if the above-ground plant is removed by a volunteer.

We appreciate our partnership with the City of Philadelphia in that they can eradicate the larger specimens and infestations and we as volunteers can focus on the details of completing a thorough environmental restoration, which can often evolve into a tedious but necessary ongoing inspection and maintenance of each site.

 Euonymus alatus, The Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, The Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

 

As we ventured further into the depths of this highly disturbed site, we discovered the invasive shrub, Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). We yank it out gently, getting all the roots and toss it off site where it will die, or hang it from an adjacent tree or shrub.

Root of Euonymus alatus, The Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Root of Euonymus alatus, The Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Above is the roots of the invasive exotic shrub, Euonymus alatus, Burning Bush, just pulled out from the ground here in Morris Park.

We see this invasive shrub in many sites in Morris Park and within the Fairmount Park System, and would love to have all of the time and resources to pull it out!

Morris Park, Philadelphia
Morris Park, Philadelphia

Above, we see the invasive tree, Ailanthus altissima, the Tree-of -Heaven, Multiflora Rose, (thin green stalks), Wineberry, Mile-A-Minute, and Japanese Honeysuckle, all of them growing together in a mass of invasives. This dead Tree-Of-Heaven was one of the ones sprayed with Garlon 4 Ultra in a basal-bark application in Late February 2011 by Philadelphia Parks and Rec.

Isabelle Dijols removes invasive Multiflora rose,Morris Park, Philadelphia
Isabelle Dijols removes invasive Multiflora rose, Morris Park, Philadelphia

This infestation of Tree-of Heaven, Japanese Angelica tree, Japanese Honeysuckle, Burning Bush, English Ivy, Multiflora Rose, Wineberry, Mile-a-Minute and Garlic Mustard will take us all winter to remove. Whenever we have time, an hour here and an hour there, we are out there, getting some sunlight, some exercise and something accomplished.

Sean Solomon removes Tree-of-Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Sean Solomon removes Tree-of-Heaven, Morris Park, Philadelphia

The scene in the back-ground,adjacent to the site we are currently working on pictured above and below, was at one time full of these same invasives that covered the forest floor, the shrub layer and climbing up the trees, now all gone.

 Morris Park, Philadelphia
Morris Park, Philadelphia

When we first pulled them all out five years ago, it wasn’t as pretty, but now those plants have rested on the forest floor, decomposed into soil, and are being slowly transformed into native plants under our watchful eye. We monitor this partially restored site for invasives every year, and pull out the Mile-A-Minute vine whenever we see it. Please let us know if you have seen this vine or have a problem with it in the natural area near you!

BURNING BUSH!

THE ONGOING PROJECT OF REMOVING THE BURNING BUSH (EUONYMUS ALATUS) FROM MORRIS PARK CONTINUES. WE OFFER YOU A FEW TIPS ON ITS REMOVAL, AND A QUICK LESSON ON TELLING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NATIVE HEARTS-A-BUSTIN’ (EUONYMOUS AMERICANA) AND THE INVASIVE BURNING BUSH.

The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

(Euonymus alatus)

This bush gets its common name from the bright red foliage in the fall. It was a favorite for landscapers for too long, and can be found on foundation plantings next to commercial buildings and alongside roads and parking lots. It has spread into the adjacent forests, and here it is in Morris Park.

Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Here is a clump of this species growing in the park. It is extremely shade tolerant, and when leafed out, will shade out the herbaceous layer of the forest, leaving a barren area below it. It seeds itself prolifically, creating a problematic situation, as the forest becomes less and less of  itself and more and more about this messy alien shrub. Habitat for species -specific insects is lost, and with the diminished insects, the birds we love to have in our park are also diminished.

So now, removal is the best thing that can be done. It is a great cardiovascular exercise, and a good excuse to be outside, doing something useful for your neighboring forest.  We will help you identify them and remove them.

Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

The most tell-tale give-away is the corky winged branches of this simple-leaved shrub. The wings occur at 90 degree angles to each other and are a very prominent feature. The red fall color and the bright red berries are also distinguishing.

We mechanically remove the bush with a large steel weed wrench supplied to us by the friendly and knowledgable staff of the Philadelphia Parks and Rec department. We bought our own saws and clippers and cut out most of the bushes mass, leaving a three foot stump.  That way it is easier to pull out the roots, without brushing up against the plant and having it get in our faces as we wrestle with it, exposing us to ticks.  Wear your socks over your light colored pants and inspect yourself and wash your clothes and take a shower after this work day!  The conditions in a forest that would have a Burning bush infestation are also likely to have a deer and disease-carrying tick infestation.

Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

This great tool makes it easy to pull out the roots. This process is dirty, as the soil is spread all over as the root is unearthed. If we do not do this, and just cut the bush down, it will re-grow again, rapidly.  Removing the bush this way disturbs the soil and there may be an exposure of the roots of native herbaceous plants, insect eggs and insect habitats. This is problematic and some may prefer to just cut the bush down and return to every single bush year after year and keep cutting it down until it hopefully finally dies, with the soil left in place. This is the ideal methodology, but will require the extreme care and follow-through of the most thoughtful and attentive land steward.

Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

If you choose the pull-it-all-out method, be aware of the roots of native plants, and make an effort to put them all back with an inch or so of soil put back on top. Cover the area back up with leaves, so it looks as if there never was a bush there in the first place. The idea is to make as few changes as possible to the forest ecosystem. The best job is the one that looks as if there was no work done in the first place.

What to do with the Bush after it is removed?  We leave the bush on the site, cut up and scattered about, the roots hung up on old branches, not touching the bare soil. Very rarely will a pulled-out bush reattach itself to the soil and re-grow. It may look a bit ugly at a first glance, but within a few short years the site will look like a healthy forest again, and the Burning bush will have decomposed into the soil, providing bio-mass for the native plants that will return. Think of what the site will look like in five years!

Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

If you choose to not pull out the roots and still want to kill the bushes, consider herbicides.  In our situation as volunteers, we are not permitted to use them, so are left with the pulling and cutting options. Consider a glysophate herbicide, with a cut-and-paint approach or basal bark application, in the late winter. Be sure to know if you are allowed to use herbicides if it is on public property.

As far as the issue of soil disturbance from pulling out the roots manually goes, this may actually be beneficial in the case of severe infestations, because it has the potential to bring to the surface long dormant seeds of native plants that will have the opportunity to sprout after the bushes have been removed.

 Jason Puglionesi removing the invasive exotic Norway Maple, which we found growing amidst the Euonymus alatus, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Jason Puglionesi removing the invasive exotic Norway Maple, which we found growing amidst the Euonymus alatus, Morris Park, Philadelphia

Even if your method is in need of refinement, just by addressing the problem at all is a great start to improving the forest you are adopting. As you go, you can discuss the finer points of your environmental restoration efforts with your neighbors and all those interested and engaged with the forest.

Sean Solomon removing the invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia
Sean Solomon removing the invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

HOW TO TELL BETWEEN THE NATIVE EUONYMUS AND THE INVASIVE EUONYMUS

The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia
The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia

The invasive Burning Bush, (Euonymus alatus) above. Also called the Winged Euonymus. The corky, almost papery wings are very noticeable. On some specimens, the wings are not so pronounced, but they are still in evidence.

Pictured below is the native Euonymus americana, the Hearts-a-Bustin’ or Strawberry bush. While there are similarities of these two related species, the differences are distinctly noticable. The native one has  much smoother, green branches, lacking the winged habit of the invasive exotic.

The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin' or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia
The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin’ or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia

The seed production of the native one is unforgettable, the way the bright red fruit appears to burst out of the rough pink casing.

The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin' or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia
The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin’ or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia

The habit of the native bush is open and airy, whereas the invasive one is denser.

The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin' or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia
The native Euonymus americana, The Hearts-Bustin’ or Strawberry Bush, Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia

Above, the native, below the alien.  Note the differences (pink fruit casing on the native) in the fruit, as well as the similarities. (the red berry).

If you are unsure of the status of a specimen, do not attempt to eradicate it! Native and non-native Euonymus can grow side-by-side.

The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush,Morris Park, Philadelphia
The invasive exotic Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, Morris Park, Philadelphia

When you pull out the infestations of this bush from your adopted forest, you may be surprised to see what will grow in their place in the following years. Be prepared for numerous seedlings of the invasive alatus to pop up, that you will need to weed out, but also be ready for native surprises to emerge from a soil that has not had a late spring sun grace it in many years!

If you feel you really need to plant something as a replacement, then go ahead and purchase the native Hearts-a-bustin’ at the many native plant nurseries that offer it.  Please let us know how your invasive removal project is going!  Your comments and insights are much appreciated!

 

THE JAPANESE ANGELICA TREE

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This tree is found throughout Philadelphia, in Fairmount Park, in alleys and neighborhoods. It has a silvery thorny trunk and  produces a striking crown of white to pink flowers in August.  The most dense stands can be found in The Wissahickon Valley Park, but it is also found in abundance in West Fairmount Park, in such locations as the Horticultural Center and along Chamounix  Drive.  In Morris Park it is spreading rapidly, where multiple stands of seed producing specimens have been identified.

The Japanese Angelica Tree is an emerging invasive in the region, and where it has become established there has been a drastic change and disruption to the natural environment. This tree creates a canopy of shade so dense and a root system so interconnected that native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are left to die in the wake of this aggressive alien species.  With the loss of these plants, which have grown here for thousands and millions of years, is a loss of a complex web of habitat that sustains the life of the forest.  The insects whose patterns of sustenance, such as food and reproduction, are species-specifically dependent, lose their habitat and become locally extirpated with each infestation of the Japanese Angelica Tree. Birds that need insects for survival, will also be displaced as there is no food. When a species has evolved over the millions of years, it does so in a system of species and interactions, often with multiple variables.  When an introduced species comes into a system, it has the potential to radically change the variables of the system.  For example, the Japanese Angelica Tree has the ability to block sunlight, which is one variable to a natural system that has an immense effect. It is like a dark cloud that moves over a community of plants, an invading force, permanently shading the area through the entire growing season, and on top of that running a dense network of roots all through the soil that absorbs the moisture and nutrients that will no longer be available to the original community of plants. This is enough to kill off many species of plants and their species-specific insect dependents, and this amounts to localized extirpation, the elimination of a species from its host habitat.

There is nothing to stop these invasions. Acre after acre of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park system has fallen victim to this species.

This is where our story begins.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Take a walk through the Wissahickon Valley Park and the Japanese Angelica Tree is everywhere. In the late summer, the white inflorescence  crests the landscape and the spiny trunks line the trails.

Making matters more confusing is that there is a native tree that is very similar to the Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata), called the Devils Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa), which does not grow in the Philadelphia region, but does grow naturally in Western Pennsylvania as well as parts of New Jersey, Delaware and much of the Eastern U.S.

The two species are related. The native one, in its natural range, is part of the natural system, while the exotic one has become a noxious pest.

For a while we thought the Japanese Angelica Tree was the native Devil’s Walking Stick. What we did not know was that even if it was the native tree, we were not in the natural range for the American Arialia spinosa. So even if it was the native Devils walking stick, it would still be out of its range in Philadelphia and therefore out of place.   We have learned that even ‘native’ plants still have this range, which varies throughout the country plant by plant, and if the plant is outside its historical, evolutionary range, than it is an alien.

We do not know what to expect from aliens. Usually it is something bad or out of the usual order. With plants, this is the case for many specimens that are introduced from other regions. They can take over and create problems. Insects such as the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) and now the stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys) are prime examples of alien species.

When examining native range maps of the many indigenous North American Plant species, as presented by the U.S. Geological Survey, there is to be found an intriguing world of plant species and their localized areas. The United States is divided up into a complex and entirely different world than what we generally perceive it to be; there is an astounding geographic dimension to the U.S. that  encompasses thousands of species, with real borders, completely different than those of states, counties and provinces. It is as if there are whole worlds of speciation and  delineation that we are for the most part completely unaware of!

We had no idea that in the Middle of Pennslvania there is a line where the native Devil’s Walking Stick’s range comes to a natural end.  And between this borderline and the infestations of the Devil’s Walking Stick’s genetic relative, The Japanese Angelica Tree in Morris Park is where our adventure starts out.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We had always admired the binnately compound leaf of the Japanese Angelica tree, as illustrated above. What is pictured is one leaf, composed of a series of branches holding leaflets, in sets of two along each branch.

The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Staff, technician Luke Rhodes and Land Steward Thomas Dougherty alerted us to the designation of the species, the invasive Aralia elata, the Japanese Angelica Tree. After double checking this information out, our next question was what can we do about it?  We tried to chop them down, but the extensive root systems would send up new shoots.

Tom And Luke of Fairmount Park saw that Isabelle and I were serious about trying to eradicate this invasive, and we formed a partnership, and the eradication process had begun.  The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Staff tasked us volunteers with mapping the infestations and identifying target areas for eradication.  We chose sites that were the closest to forest areas that had the least invasives and the highest diversity of native flora.  Tom and Luke then applied the herbicide Garlon 4 ultra with a green dye ( to help identify applied specimens) in a basal bark application to the mature seed-producing specimens in a first pass attempt at eradication.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The process started: The mature specimens were treated with herbicide in the late winter, and they died by May or June. Above, the herbicide is applied around the bark at the base of the tree leading to the technical jargon basal bark herbicide application.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tom and Luke take a quick break. Luke is resting on a weed wrench, a tool that we volunteers were using to remove another invasive, the Burning Bush, the euonymus alatus.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Isabelle cracked a good joke to get us all to smile: From left: Jason Puglionesi, Sean Solomon, Luke Rhodes, Tom Dougherty.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Fast forward to late Spring 2012, and the treated specimens have leafed out, only to begin dying off soon after.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

By summer, the trees are completely dead.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is last year’s batch, treated in February of 2011, they are apparitions at this point, the whole stand has been crashing to the ground one by one.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley  Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Here is a closer look at the fruits of the Angelica Tree, found in early August on a dense stand in The Wissahickon, in the Creshiem Valley section. Each tree produces hundreds of seeds on display in multiple circular clusters. The ripe seeds attract birds, who end up helping the plant spread its range rapidly. The irony is that while the birds get instant gratification from the berries, their spread is actually destroying habitats of other plants the birds depend on in the long term.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley  Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Here is a seedling right next to our house, in an area where there had been no mature seed-producing specimens in the immediate vicinity. The seedlings number in the hundreds, and we have to hand pull each and every one. This seedling can grow up to three feet tall in one growing season.  In the areas where the seed-producing mature specimens have been eradicated, the now sunlit forest floor has erupted in a mass of seedlings so dense they number in the thousands. Many native plants and trees are among this startling infestation of noxious weeds, which necessitates hand pulling.

A daunting task to initiate!

 

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris  Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Meet the Friends of Haverford Trails- they are a neighboring Park Friends group working on an area that is part of the Cobbs Creek watershed. They came out to visit our site in July and were glad to lend a helping hand with our Aralia elata problem.

From left after Isabelle: Barry Pinheiro, Frances Heron, Joe Walker, Jane Horwitz, Roy Sandstrom and Peter Puglionesi.

We were able to pull a whole infestation of seedlings in a half hour! We spent the rest of the time touring the site and talking about native plants and trees as well as our volunteer projects.

We use thick gloves with those spiny stems.  The pulled specimens are scattered about the site, where they will die and return to organic matter, hopefully to be used by a native plant of local provenance.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris  Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We discovered Jack-in- The Pulpit, Joe-Pye-Weed, White oak seedlings, Sassafrass and Dogwood in the area we worked on.

 

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Eradication initiation, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mass of Seedlings.

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Eradication initiation, Morris Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata, Eradication initiation, Morris Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Our friend Jason whom you have met from our Garlic Mustard adventures of 2012,  and his friend Skylar came out on August 2nd to help out as well, and we pulled seedlings for a short afternoon. We also pulled the invasive Japanese Stiltgrass along the trails. Skylar is holding a red Hickory leaf. Just the slightest hint of Fall in the air, eh?

Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park ,  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Japanese Angelica Tree, Aralia elata,Wissahickon Valley Park , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Last but not least, is a site of great interest in Fairmount Park, this is just a few yards north of Mom Rinker’s Rock, where the Toleration Statue is located.  Besides the lovely views and colorful history, this is a site of huge importance to us because growing there is the native shrub Hearts-A-bustin’, the Strawberry bush, the Euonymus americana, a beautiful and elegant shrub that has been passed over by the horticultural industry  in favor of the previously mentioned Burning bush, the invasive and noxious introduced but closely related shrub, Euonymus alatus, which has infested many areas of the Wissahickon as well as Morris Park. In fact the Euonymus alatus is found growing side by side with the native Euonymus americana, the Hearts-a-Bustin’.

Even more disturbing is that the Hearts-a-Bustin’ is being encroached upon by an infestation of  an aggressive  stand of the Japanese Angelica Tree!  In all of our adventures through the Fairmount Park System, we have never seen the Hearts-a-Bustin’, except at this one unusual site, and yet this special area is threatened by this same invasive as found throughout the park. A few good workdays the way we have been doing it could really help out this little place, where do we sign up?

Lessons learned: Nothing is as easy as we think it might be. Cannot underestimate a loaded seedbank.

While Humans have certainly created many conditions that are leading to environmental disfunction, habitat loss and species extirpation and extinction, there are some things we can do, and have fun doing them.

Traveling to nearby areas helps one learn more about your own area. In fact traveling and exploring is a great educational experience, and you will bring home a great perspective and knowledge.

A species outside its natural range has the potential to be a dangerous species: when considering plants it is all about the location, the provenance. A species will do everything it can to propagate, as it is programmed to do. When outside of its evolutionary system, it can become an unchecked variable, creating disorder to habitats that are not in any way evolved to absorb such a disturbance, requiring us humans to make ourselves useful and intervene.

Isabelle Dijols with a blooming Japanese Angelica Tree, Wissahickon Valley Park at Lincoln Drive, August 26th 2012
Isabelle Dijols with a blooming Japanese Angelica Tree, Wissahickon Valley Park at Lincoln Drive, August 26th 2012