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Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com www.TheCatoctinBanner.com The Catoctin Banner Newspaper October 2016 Page 39
Christine Schoene Maccabee
it serves many purposes. It was Photo by Marie Maccabee
brought here by some British
fellow, no doubt, who worked Stiltgrass
at Fort Detrick, who thought
it would be a good substitute
On The Wild Side for wood fencing, but he was
wrong. Birds love the small
rose hips, which multiflora
puts out in the fall, and the
birds spread them far and
wide with their Multiflora
droppings. Even
Invasives Jbaaprabnaerrsye
now, I am still
removing them
from my woods
Woodchucks and rabbits and deer, oh my! and field, and
Stiltgrass and multiflora and barberry, oh my! they just keep
coming.
For those of us who are was purposely sown, mostly back Going for a
landowners and gardeners, there are roads, through state parks and pleasant walk
innumerable threatening creatures, along driveways of unsuspecting in the woods,
and plants, lurking in the forests landowners. It looks green and perhaps exploring
and fields. In the animal kingdom, pretty, but beauty isn’t everything, areas off the trail, Court
there are those darn woodchucks and as it steadily creeps further and esy Photos
rabbits and deer! Tricks of the trade further into the woods. It came from is next to impossible cut onto my burn pile, having done
are shared over the fence between Japan, where there is less open land my part, at least on my property.
seasoned farmers and backyard and where it can be more easily where multiflora tend I worry about all the other
gardeners. A farmer up at Scenic controlled. Bringing its seeds to our to thrive quite well with no human
View told me how to use a solar large, wide open country of America interference. Coming out of the properties that are not being
electric fence with a single wire to was a huge mistake. managed by “weed warriors,” as
keep deer out of my gardens. He said woods after tangling with their we call ourselves. I worry about the
to put peanut butter on folded pieces All summer long, I worked at thorns, one swears never to do it
of silver foil along the wire and the purging stiltgrass from many areas of again, as blood drips from scratches native plants struggling to make
tongue of deer, who cannot resist my acreage, with some help from a and hair is impossibly messed. Yikes! it, and the birds fooled by junk
trying the taste, will get shocked. It friend. It is very shallow rooted and They do have one virtue, however: the food, so I do my best in my “free
worked! I guess the word got around very easy to pull, even with injured heavenly smell of their flowers in the time” to control invasives. I worry,
pretty quickly through the deer hands, so that is a blessing. My but I also know I cannot control
community that my gardens were neighbor Mary says she bags hers spring. I can live with that, as I have
dangerous and off limits. and takes it to the dump, so it does no other choice but to live with them. everything. Of course, I still lose
not re-root or spread seeds; even after I have many number threes on sleep sometimes over those invasives,
I wish I could say that invasive it is pulled, the seeds keep maturing over plastics in the ocean and in
plants are as easy to get rid of. Sad to for a while, so one must be cautious. my list of undesirable (pain-in-the- the stomachs of seabirds and fish,
say, they are not. Woodchucks can be Personally, I have mostly gotten it butt) plants, but I will write only of
caught and sent ten miles away, and before seeding, so it is useful for another invasive that is all through over our dependency on polluting
rabbits can be deterred with a variety layering my compost pile. At least it the valley I live in—and spreading— technologies, and so forth.
of clever techniques, but plants have is good for something! that being Japanese barberry. It is However, I can control a little, and
seeds and they multiply faster than so I say to other worriers and lovers
bunnies! For simplicity’s sake, I will Number two—though it used deceptively attractive with its pretty
write only about three invasives in to be number one—on my list of red seeds. However, as food for birds, of the planet: “Every little bit helps.”
the plant kingdom in particular, the difficult invasives is multiflora. It, it totally lacks nutrition and simply We may not be able to do away
first being my very least favorite: too, was brought from a small island with every environmental problem
stiltgrass (see photo above). where it is more easily managed, that fills their bodies with false food— on Earth, but we can work to keep
being the British Isles. There, it makes “junk food for birds,” as I have
Stiltgrass encroaches upon wild wonderful fencing, or hedgerows, heard it called. It has terrible dagger- the balance. So, keep working, do
areas, crowding out woodland between fields. Within this protected like thorns and very hard, dense your part, and keep watching out for
flowers and fern. You certainly hedgerow, many other wild plants those “lions and tigers and bears”
have seen it along roads, where it can grow as habitat for wildlife, so stems, so when I go to cull it from in the woods. It isn’t all unfriendly.
my fields or woods, I go armed with
sharp clips and gloves. I throw what I Remember the Lion, Dorothy?
Christine is a member of Thurmont’s Green Team and a Master Habitat
Naturalist. She would be happy to help you with habitat, particularly plant
ID, on your own property and can be reached at songbirdschant@gmail.com.
Christine Schoene Maccabee
it serves many purposes. It was Photo by Marie Maccabee
brought here by some British
fellow, no doubt, who worked Stiltgrass
at Fort Detrick, who thought
it would be a good substitute
On The Wild Side for wood fencing, but he was
wrong. Birds love the small
rose hips, which multiflora
puts out in the fall, and the
birds spread them far and
wide with their Multiflora
droppings. Even
Invasives Jbaaprabnaerrsye
now, I am still
removing them
from my woods
Woodchucks and rabbits and deer, oh my! and field, and
Stiltgrass and multiflora and barberry, oh my! they just keep
coming.
For those of us who are was purposely sown, mostly back Going for a
landowners and gardeners, there are roads, through state parks and pleasant walk
innumerable threatening creatures, along driveways of unsuspecting in the woods,
and plants, lurking in the forests landowners. It looks green and perhaps exploring
and fields. In the animal kingdom, pretty, but beauty isn’t everything, areas off the trail, Court
there are those darn woodchucks and as it steadily creeps further and esy Photos
rabbits and deer! Tricks of the trade further into the woods. It came from is next to impossible cut onto my burn pile, having done
are shared over the fence between Japan, where there is less open land my part, at least on my property.
seasoned farmers and backyard and where it can be more easily where multiflora tend I worry about all the other
gardeners. A farmer up at Scenic controlled. Bringing its seeds to our to thrive quite well with no human
View told me how to use a solar large, wide open country of America interference. Coming out of the properties that are not being
electric fence with a single wire to was a huge mistake. managed by “weed warriors,” as
keep deer out of my gardens. He said woods after tangling with their we call ourselves. I worry about the
to put peanut butter on folded pieces All summer long, I worked at thorns, one swears never to do it
of silver foil along the wire and the purging stiltgrass from many areas of again, as blood drips from scratches native plants struggling to make
tongue of deer, who cannot resist my acreage, with some help from a and hair is impossibly messed. Yikes! it, and the birds fooled by junk
trying the taste, will get shocked. It friend. It is very shallow rooted and They do have one virtue, however: the food, so I do my best in my “free
worked! I guess the word got around very easy to pull, even with injured heavenly smell of their flowers in the time” to control invasives. I worry,
pretty quickly through the deer hands, so that is a blessing. My but I also know I cannot control
community that my gardens were neighbor Mary says she bags hers spring. I can live with that, as I have
dangerous and off limits. and takes it to the dump, so it does no other choice but to live with them. everything. Of course, I still lose
not re-root or spread seeds; even after I have many number threes on sleep sometimes over those invasives,
I wish I could say that invasive it is pulled, the seeds keep maturing over plastics in the ocean and in
plants are as easy to get rid of. Sad to for a while, so one must be cautious. my list of undesirable (pain-in-the- the stomachs of seabirds and fish,
say, they are not. Woodchucks can be Personally, I have mostly gotten it butt) plants, but I will write only of
caught and sent ten miles away, and before seeding, so it is useful for another invasive that is all through over our dependency on polluting
rabbits can be deterred with a variety layering my compost pile. At least it the valley I live in—and spreading— technologies, and so forth.
of clever techniques, but plants have is good for something! that being Japanese barberry. It is However, I can control a little, and
seeds and they multiply faster than so I say to other worriers and lovers
bunnies! For simplicity’s sake, I will Number two—though it used deceptively attractive with its pretty
write only about three invasives in to be number one—on my list of red seeds. However, as food for birds, of the planet: “Every little bit helps.”
the plant kingdom in particular, the difficult invasives is multiflora. It, it totally lacks nutrition and simply We may not be able to do away
first being my very least favorite: too, was brought from a small island with every environmental problem
stiltgrass (see photo above). where it is more easily managed, that fills their bodies with false food— on Earth, but we can work to keep
being the British Isles. There, it makes “junk food for birds,” as I have
Stiltgrass encroaches upon wild wonderful fencing, or hedgerows, heard it called. It has terrible dagger- the balance. So, keep working, do
areas, crowding out woodland between fields. Within this protected like thorns and very hard, dense your part, and keep watching out for
flowers and fern. You certainly hedgerow, many other wild plants those “lions and tigers and bears”
have seen it along roads, where it can grow as habitat for wildlife, so stems, so when I go to cull it from in the woods. It isn’t all unfriendly.
my fields or woods, I go armed with
sharp clips and gloves. I throw what I Remember the Lion, Dorothy?
Christine is a member of Thurmont’s Green Team and a Master Habitat
Naturalist. She would be happy to help you with habitat, particularly plant
ID, on your own property and can be reached at songbirdschant@gmail.com.
