Pulling Perennial Pepperweed

On Saturday June 7th, from 1-4pm, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge will host an information and training session on the identification and control of Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium). The training will be in Newburyport, MA at PRNWF Headquarters (6 Plum Island Turnpike). The first hour will be spent indoors learning about Pepperweed and control techniques, then participants are invited to gain hands-on experience by pulling Pepperweed at a site along the Plum Island Turnpike. This meeting is open to the public with no obligation to volunteer.

Perennial Pepperweed is an invasive plant that occurs in wetland habitats along coastal areas of Massachusetts, including salt marshes, and is also found along roadsides. In the western part of the USA, it is a major agricultural weed. It can be spread through soil or water movement, or as a contaminant in hay bales.

Throughout the summer, Parker River NWR and the Massachusetts Audubon society will be leading Pepperweed pulls at sites throughout Essex County. The goal is to control or eradicate pepperweed before it becomes as pervasive as other wetland invasives, like Phragmites or purple loosestrife. If you are interested in volunteering for this project but cannot make the June 7th training session, you can contact Sarah Janson (sarah_janson@fws.gov).

Know Your Weeds

If you are involved in weed management, the nursery industry in general, or are a landscaper or master gardener, consider signing up for one of UMass Weed Identification Workshops. Held at both the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain and at the UMass Amherst campus, the workshops are all-day affairs, incorporating a potted herbarium, walks outdoors, and the opportunity to bring in your own mystery weeds for identification.

Weed workshops are held in July and August, and have a registration fee of $95 each. They can be used as credits for Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professionals (MCLP) or Massachusetts Certified Horticulturists (MCH), or can count as 5 pesticide contact hours (for categories 29, 36, 37, and Applicators License). For more details, visit this UMass Extension website, or contact the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery, & Urban Forestry Program at 413-545-0895 (email: eweeks AT umext.umass.edu).

Biocontrol Successes

There is a good article in the Boston Globe today summarizing the state's work on the Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is one of the 141 plant species on the state's Prohibited Plant List, and was categorized as invasive by the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group.

Beth Suedmeyer of the Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration Program currently heads the biocontrol project, which has released over 300,000 Galerucella beetles to eat purple loosestrife since 2000. As with most biological controls, a Galerucella beetle attack does not immediately destroy purple loosestrife, rather, the beetles are a tool used to keep current populations of this invasive plant in check.

Suedmeyer is now training citizen scientists to raise and release the beetles, which have shown some evidence of beginning to breed and spread on their own. Visit the Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project for more information, including how you can raise beetles and what to do if you see a Galerucella beetle in the wild.

Invasive Plant Training

If you are a Massachusetts resident concerned about invasive plants, consider signing up for one of the IPANE Volunteer Training Sessions being held this May and June. IPANE teaches volunteers how to identify invasive plants and enlists them to conduct monitoring surveys across New England. The beginner training for western Massachusetts is coming up soon, on May 3, and there is also a Getting Started Workshop for the Appalachian Trail in Sheffield, MA.

If you really want to get your hands dirty, there are also invasive plant pulling events throughout the spring and summer, including one for water chestnut (Trapa natans) in Rowley and glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) in Winchendon. Check out the IPANE volunteer page for a complete listing.