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Saturday June 29 I spent the morning volunteering at Hempstead Plains in Long Island.
Hempstead Plains is the last remnant of native prairie grass in North East
America, which was created by an outwash of glacial sediment more than ten
thousand years ago. The prairie grass once covered over 60,000 acres and now
due to development and farming, only nineteen acres remain. The site supports
populations of endangered and globally rare plants, as well as many insects,
butterflies, birds and small mammals, that are at risk of becoming extinct with
the vanishing plains.
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| Butterfly Weed |
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| Butterfly Weed Detail |
The
remaining nineteen acres are beautiful and surreal as they are surrounded by a
parking lot, the Marriott Hotel, highways, Nassau Community College (who owns
the nineteen acres), and Mitchel Field - a former air force base, which is now
used to train police in offensive driving.
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| Edisa Weeks & Betsy Culotta |
When I
arrived at 9:30am Betsy Culotta, who is the Hempstead Plains Conservation
Project Manager, was pulling up Mugwort, Cypress Spurge and Chinese Bush Clover
that had formed an offensive patch in the middle of the field. Pulling them is
a slow, stubborn, tedious labor of love. It felt sisyphean as we were not able
to remove the deep tap roots or multiple rhizomes, so they will inevitably grow
back, however hopefully we are giving the native plants and grasses a chance to
take hold and thrive and keep the invasives at bay.
In
researching native plants for upcoming performances at the Native Flora Garden
in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on July 23 and August 13, I’ve become fascinated
by invasive plants.
Mugwort
is a perennial and native to Europe, Asia, North Africa and Alaska. It is an
amazingly resilient plant that will grow anywhere, including the most nutrient
depleted soil! It will grow in sidewalk cracks, empty lots, and dominate
roadsides. It can create extensive mono-cultures that choke out other plants.
Mugwort does have a variety of practical uses. It's been used as an alternative
to tea leaves; to make beer before hops became the plant of choice; to protect
against evil spirits; as a way to fatten sheep and goats who apparently love
mugwort; as an herb for cooking lamb; and a tonic for indigestion, irritability
and urinary disorders. The oil in mugwort has been used to induce uterine
contractions and to re-orientate a breached baby. It is practically impossible
to remove Mugwort as the tiniest rhizome root left in the soil will generate
new plants. Round-up by Monsanto will kill it, but it also will kill plants you
want to preserve, and there are big concerns about round-up’s effect on humans
and the environment.
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| Mugwart and Chinese Bush Clover growing rampantly on the side of the road by Hempstead Plains. |
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Chinese
Bush Clover is a perennial and native to Australia and Asia. It was introduced
to North America in 1896 to revegetate abandoned mine sites. It has a deep
taproot that helps prevent soil erosion and allows it to survive drought
conditions. It was also tested as possible cattle fodder, however it is high in
tannins, which makes it unpalatable for cattle and most wildlife. Dispersal is
caused by birds that eat the legume pods and then poop the seeds. The seeds can
stay dormant for 25 – 55 years. Chinese Bush Clover will crowd out native
plants, and in some states it is illegal to plant it. As a medicinal herb it is
used to treat skin ulcerations, dysentery, enteritis, and hernias. The only way
to get rid of it is by patiently pulling it year after year till the taproot
dies or to go nuclear with round-up.
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| Cyprus Spurge |
Cypress
Spurge is a perennial from Europe that in the 1860’s was introduced to North
America as an ornamental plant and widely planted in graveyards. It escaped,
and rapidly spread to open sunny areas. Because of its dense and extensive root
system it tends to form almost pure stands that displace native plants. It has
a poisonous white sap, which is toxic if ingested or comes in contact with the
eyes. Cows that accidentally ingest cypress spurge become weak, collapse, and
may die. Two years ago in an attempt to keep Cyprus Spurge under control, Betsy
purchased a box of tiny red beetles that only feed on the roots of Cyprus
Spurge. I found two of them as I was weeding, however they are not making a
dent in the spreading spurge.
Hempstead
Plains needs volunteers to help with restoration and management efforts. Check
out the Friends of Hempstead Plains for upcoming work weekends. www.friendsofhp.org/site/index.php?id=7
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| I was happy to see Milkweed growing profusely at Hempstead Plains |
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| Milkweed detail |
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| The weeded patch in the middle of Hempstead Plains. Feels good to look at it and see no invasive plants. They are bound to grow back, but hopefully we are giving a chance for the native plants to gain a stronger foothold. |
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