PSA: invasive vines

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

My yard (near Davis Square) is infested with Black Swallow-wort vines. This is an invasive species, which will quickly take over your yard if you allow it to. I've seen it in several other yards around Davis Square. It likes to grow on fences and twine into hedges and it's hard to eradicate entirely.

Here are some pictures (http://www.invasive.org/eastern/species/4262.html) to help identify it.

Here's a writeup of what it is and how to control it: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/cylo1.htm.

Comments

[inahandbasket]

yeah, it's everywhere up past Teele too. (Conwell st. area)
Thanks for the tip, been wondering what it was but hadn't gotten around to investigating.

[squirrelitude]

Thanks for posting this! I like the pods it produces, and usually have great fun blowing the seeds around. I'll stop doing that now...

[olszowka.livejournal.com]

I live near Porter and have had them in my yard for over a decade. They're always around, but aren't taking over. I just weed whack them when they grow where I don't want them. They look nice on the fence.

[avjudge]

I thought you were going to be posting with the vine that I see all over, but that wasn't it. I finally googled "vine purple flower red berry" and found that I'm fighting Solanum dulcamara, aka bittersweet nightshade and over a dozen other names. Since I couldn't pull the plants on the other side of the fence, I made one of my exceedingly rare uses of Round-up on it last year and it seems to be gone from that spot - for now.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

On the subject of invasives, kudos to Groundwork Somerville for pulling out a fair amount of the Japanese Knotweed on the Community Path last Friday. It's another invasive that is prevalent in this area; it is systemically crowding out native species along the Path.

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/faja1.htm

http://www.invasive.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=3414

[ceelove.livejournal.com]

It's also edible, when cut as a tender young shoot. Tastes very lemony.

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

Yay Groundwork!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I called these Goth Flowers (because of the black-purple flower) before I knew what they really were. I've got some of them, but I pluck their tops off so they can't climb anything.

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Everywhere-still pull them out of my yard; Even removed a fence full of them. Pump them full of poison!!