Putnam County RIP wrangles invasive plants in Cloverdale

Representatives from Putnam County RIP and the community stand in front of invasive plants they removed recently at the Cloverdale Town Park.

Courtesy photo

Recently, Putnam County Remove Invasive Plants (RIP) organized a Weed Wrangle at the Cloverdale Town Park. This event focused on educating local residents about invasive plants and their removal.

Prior to the event, Amber Slaughterbeck, regional specialist with Indiana Invasives Initiative, along with Cloverdale Park Board member Lois Bennington and Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District Executive Director Sara Campfield, surveyed the 5.7 acres of the Cloverdale Town Park. They found Japanese barberry, Callery pear, burning bush, Japanese honeysuckle, garlic mustard, multiflora rose, privet, purple wintercreeper and bush honeysuckle.

During the May 22 event 11 individuals worked on a small area of the park. While removing the plants, they educated participants on plant identification.

One of the main plants removed was garlic mustard. Garlic mustard can easily be identified by its triangular-shaped leaves. May was a great time to remove this plant before it went to seed and spread throughout the park.

One difficulty is that invasive species can not be transported. As such, Putnam County RIP has worked with Parke County REMC to help dispose of the woody invasive plants. Following all such events, Parke County REMC visits the sites and chips the material for disposal.

The Indiana Invasives Initiative provides free one-on-one technical assistance to landowners and land managers, including on-site invasive plant property surveys and management plans. For a land assessment with Amber Slaughterbeck, visit the Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management website at www.sicim.info.

The next Weed Wrangle is scheduled for Saturday, June 26 from 9 a.m.–11 a.m. at the Tzouanakis Nature Trail (a.k.a. Tansy Wells Nature Trail) near Tzouanakis Intermediate School in Greencastle. Those who wish to participate should bring their own tools, including gloves.