miscellaneous CBA info

Lemmon lemmon at snet.net
Wed May 3 16:20:32 EDT 2006


Diane,
   
  I am responding to your question about Garlic mustard control.  Yes we definitely want to get rid of it as it is credited with the decline of  the West Virginia white butterfly because of the chemicals in the garlic mustard are toxic to the larvae.  It also displaces many native wildflowers.  The plant is a biennial and flowers, produces seed and dies in the second year.  I should be pulled up carefully, grasping close to the base to get all of the roots.  They have very shallow root and come out very easily. It should be pulled before the seeds appear, while there are still white flowers.  It needs those flowers to set seed, and if you keep pulling them up, you can eventually eliminate a population.  The seeds are viable in the soil for five or more years.  Each plant produces hundreds of seeds that scatter up to several yards from the parent plant.   
  I use very hot vinegar to kill young seedlings that are clumped together in our woods.  
   
  Carol Lemmon
   
   
  

ButterflyPR at comcast.net wrote:
  Uh oh. Just checked the weather for Sunday and it looks like rain is predicted. It's deja vu all over again!

In case it clears, our new CBA vice president Larry Gall plans to lead a trip at West Rock Park in New Haven at 10 AM.

As always, visit www.ctbutterfly.org for more info/directions.

Something new to put on your calendar: this year, instead of Field Day, the CBA will be having a picnic. Saturday July 8, we'll meet at 10 AM at Chaffinch Island Park, then have field trips in the park and surrounding areas, i.e. Jared Elliott Preserve. Then we'll picnic at the park. It will be a BYO picnic; there will be some grilling facilities available. More info as we get closer to the event!

A thank you to David Wagner for a fascinating talk on caterpillars last week. The illustration of the frass-hurling caterpillars will remain with me for a long time... But seriously, I learned a lot and look forward to spending more time reading the book.

And finally, a question about garlic mustard. I know we want to get rid of it, but I seem to remember someone saying that if we pull it, it somehow makes it spread. Any thoughts?

Diane


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