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  • Home
  • Blog
  • PRESERVE
    • Invasive Species
    • Clean Ups
  • ENJOY
    • Nature Programs
    • Spotted
    • Photos
    • Birding >
      • greenHeron
    • Trails
  • History
  • Mountain Biking
    • Bike Racing
    • Letters
    • Planning Survey
  • Shop
  • Who We Are
    • presidentReport-1Q-21
  • MemberInfo
​The Problem with Invasive Species
by Phil Round

Invasive species are usually plants and animals that have  been introduced into environments where they had never been before.  Wisteria and Japanese Knotweed, in particular, are abundant and troublesome in Brightwood.
The Friends of Brightwood Park have been working hard to remove these species, mostly at weekend clean-up events.


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Doug Tallamy Presentation on Invasive Species 
now available for streaming
 
The video is now uploaded to our YouTube channel and can be found here:  https://youtu.be/Lnndy3bO3UE
 
Also:
· Here is the site to find which plants are best for your area ranked by how many moths and butterflies it will host:  https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/
· Here is the link to the Homegrown National Park:  https://homegrownnationalpark.com
· Yellow LED light bulbs are available at Home Depot, Amazon and Ace to name a few -  just google LED yellow bug light bulbs
· Info on Go Green Galloway:  www.gogreengalloway.org
· Info on the Native Plant Society of NJ:  http://www.npsnj.org/index.html
· Pat Sutton of Cape May has a great website - you can join her Gardening Gang:  http://www.patsuttonwildlifegarden.com/welcome-to-our-new-website
 
Native Plant Nurseries:
Mays Landing:  https://summersweetnativeplants.com/ 
Atlantic County:  http://www.earthfirstnatives.com/ 
Columbus, NJ:  http://www.pinelandsnursery.com/p/home-page.html
Port Murray NJ:  https://wellsweep.com
Alpha NJ: https://wildridgeplants.com
Frenchtown, NJ:  https://www.toadshade.com
Ottsville PA:  https://www.kindearthgrowers.com
 
Native Plant Landscapers (recommended by viewers in our chat section):
Jared Rosenbaum. jared@wildridgeplants.com
Walters Nursery in PA has a member of staff that specializes in native plant design
thelittleplantcompany@gmail.com
https://weatherwooddesign.com/about-us.php
https://www.coandesign.com/#home
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#1 Japanese Knotweed
​

As you arrive into the carpark and look left towards the lake the mass of greenery (7 to 8 feet tall) is Japanese Knotweed. As the name suggests it originally evolved in Japan and is the first plant to colonize the slopes of volcanoes following an eruption. It grows and spreads very rapidly such that it outcompetes any native plants. Native animals (including deer) don’t eat it and diseases and insects have little to no impact. If you look to the ground  under the plants there are virtually no other plants surviving. This result is a classic example of what invasive plants can do –  eliminate the competition and destroy the biodiversity.
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#2 Wisteria 
(Chinese and Japanese origins)

This vine is a favorite for many gardeners but in forests it destroys trees by strangulation, blocking light from the leaves and absorbing the nutrients and water from the roots. The result is that the trees eventually die and fall over or are weakened such that they are more easily blown over by the wind or snow. The wisteria survives and spreads all over the ground from the fallen trees and from the millions of seeds that it produces. The dense ground cover stops native tree seedlings from establishing so the whole area becomes a monoculture of wisteria. It is a poisonous plant which explains why deer don’t eat it. The deer do however continues to eat the native plants so the net effect of wisteria and deer foraging is total destruction of the native forest habitat.
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What can be done about invasive plant species?

Different invasive plants can be controlled or minimized by various techniques. Experts in the field have experimented with various techniques with the objectives of gaining control with minimum damage or contamination to the environment and selective encouragement of native plant species. The overall approach is often described as “Habitat Restoration” but a key element of any approach must include a management strategy to limit the number of deer.

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Deer Management At Brightwood
Deer contribute directly and catastrophically to the problem of invasive species.  By preferentially eating only the native plants, they give non-native plants a huge survival boost.  The deer population has grown extensively in recent years, accelerating the the destruction of the native Brightwood habitat.  No restoration project can be contemplated without a plan to remove the deer from the park.

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