As summer petered out and cold winds blew in, the hustle and bustle of the island simmered down — but not for the Invasive Plant Brigade (IPB)! Since August, we have visited eight properties, tackling 18 different invasive plant species and removing more than 19 cubic feet of invasive plant material.
Our loyal volunteers have wielded loppers, shovels, pick-axes, and hand saws to remove invasive plants across the island. They’ve been persistently chipping away at infestations in the blazing heat, under sullen rainy skies, in brisk autumn air, and now amid incoming winter winds.
If you’ve happened upon one of our removal sites, at first glance it may appear that we’re working against conservation. Pulling plants and cutting down shrubs aren’t typically the first actions associated with nurturing biodiversity. But invasive plants don’t effectively support native wildlife, birds, and insects. Instead, they form monocultures that displace beneficial host plants, food sources, and shelter for the critters we know and love. Sometimes heavily infested areas need to be thoroughly cleared to restore native diversity and reduce further spread. To learn more about why invasive plants harm native biodiversity, check out my past blog post on managing invasive species for climate resilience and conservation.
After invasive plant removal, native species are given a chance to reclaim some space and support all of the vibrant life we have on the island. You can help kick-start this process by replacing invasive species with native plantings. Take a look at my Bluedot Living article to learn about prevalent invasive plants on the island and potential native replacements.
Think of it this way: the Invasive Plant Brigade simulates the stresses that would be experienced by invasive plants if they had natural predators and competition on Martha’s Vineyard. It makes sense once you see it in action, so we invite you to follow along as we recap this autumn’s IPB events.
A slow September
Bittersweet busters
On September 19, one volunteer and I started small with a localized infestation of oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) in Chilmark. Two trees had become entangled with twining vines that we tugged from the treetops and uprooted from the ground. What we thought would be a quick session turned into an involved operation as we uncovered a Goliath root system hidden beneath the soil.
With two pairs of hands, we dug out what we could and bagged the bright yellow-and-red berries. The once-tangled black cherry (Prunus serotina) trees now have a chance to grow free from the abusive grasp of bittersweet that would have eventually strangled the trunks entirely.
A trusty triad
Our next visit, on September 22, saw a team of three heading to a property in Vineyard Haven that presented an intimidating task. The majority of the land had become overcome by a mix of the worst invasive offenders: English ivy (Hedera helix), privets (Ligustrum spp.), goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria), Asian bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), oriental bittersweet, wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), and more.
Fueled by a pan of freshly baked brownies, we got to work around the foundation of the house. Although we couldn’t clear the entire lot in just two hours, we were able to free up space near the front entrance, creating a welcome mat for change. The homeowner plans to replant the area with a mix of resilient native plants and shrubs. No small victory goes unnoticed in the world of invasive plant management!
Unwieldy wineberry
With our insect shield on and our lint rollers nearby, we set off to West Tisbury on September 30 to take down an established wineberry patch. The sprawling limbs were thick and woody, making it clear that this infestation had been festering for a while. Luckily, the roots pulled out from the loose ground easily, making removal a quick and painless process. Don’t judge a book by its cover! This removal site is surrounded by bushy cinnamon ferns (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Rubus species, sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), and red maple (Acer rubrum), all native species that now have the chance to move back in.
On to October
Bringing the Brigade to BiodiversityWorks
To kick off October, the IPB decided to do something truly terrifying by having our first weekend event on a Sunday morning! Just one volunteer was brave enough to sacrifice relaxation for invasive plant removal. On October 5, we got to work removing oriental bittersweet, mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), and wineberry from the BiodiversityWorks headquarters. The early infestations dislodged easily and all the debris fit into one contractor bag.
Lonicera is long gone
On October 10, our crew set off to Tisbury to repay one of our loyal volunteers. We were met with a tangle of wineberry and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). The patch shrank away one shrub at a time until all that was left was some goldenrod that had managed to persevere. Turning our attention to the other side of the property, we made our way over to some Asian bush honeysuckle and oriental bittersweet that was obstructing the view of Lagoon Pond. After some clipping, digging, and pulling, we revealed the sparkling water and native plants, shrubs, and trees that had been waiting for more space to grow.
Bye bye bittersweet
You can’t go a day without seeing oriental bittersweet somewhere on the island. Some areas are more impacted than others, with dense nets of woody vines reaching to the canopy. The vines are troublesome enough, but just wait until you get a glimpse of their root systems.
One of our natural neighbors in West Tisbury has been dealing with a nasty bittersweet infestation for a while now. On October 14, we got to work on an especially tangled black cherry tree and attacked the expansive bittersweet roots that reached up to 10 ft long. We shoveled, pulled, took a chocolate chip cookie break, and before we knew it the 2-hour work session had finished. There is still more to remove, but for this season at least the black cherry is free to grow as it pleases.
Not missing miscanthus
The day before Halloween, the IPB teamed up with one of the Martha’s Vineyard regional high school’s horticulture classes to tackle a truly spooky site — ornamental Miscanthus grass!
We met at a property in Oak Bluffs and prepared to take on our first Miscanthus removal of the year. There were three main clumps: two by the front entrance and one pressed up against the house’s foundation. First we clipped off the troublesome seed heads and bagged them before chopping back the grass and loosening up the root system with pitch forks. Despite some concerns about how well established one of the plants was, we were able to fully remove all three. The extra hands made quick work of things, and the complementary pumpkin bread certainly helped with motivation.
Now in November
Cleaning up camp
A loyal IPB member who has racked up nearly 24 hours of volunteer time decided to dedicate some of her hours to removing wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) at Camp Jabberwocky on November 11. That beautiful vine that often adorns trellises or pergolas with its drooping clusters of purple flowers can easily become a menace in the wild. Its complex root system dominates the soil, creating an insidious mat that helps anchor the vine to the ground.
For two hours we whittled away at the roots, pulling new shoots from the ground and dismantling old vines that were climbing trees. We had high hopes, but the wisteria humbled us, confining us to the corner we started in. Although we didn’t cover as much ground as we initially hoped, we gained solace in knowing our meticulous efforts would likely slow down the infestation in the location we focused on.
Distant December
Ousting autumn olive
To finish off this year’s IPB sessions, we will be visiting the Wakeman Center to remove autumn olive from their meadow. This session may be a grand finale of sorts, if nothing else comes around by the end of the year. In any case, the IPB will be back in action as soon as the plants sprout from the ground in early spring.
Join us!
Do you have an invasive plant problem on your property, an interest in learning about vegetation management, and/or a desire to get involved with volunteer opportunities on the island? The Invasive Plant Brigade is a volunteer-powered labor co-op that joins Natural Neighbors together to help each other remove invasive plant infestations. You volunteer your time on someone else’s land and in turn get the same time from our members on your own land. If you are physically unable to participate, we also have volunteers that are willing to donate their time without requiring labor in return. You are responsible for properly disposing of invasive plant material after a removal. Visit these guidelines to properly dispose of your invasive species.
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