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The new invasive plant bin has arrived at the Newtown transfer station! It's near the brush pile. We encourage residents to drop off any invasive plants with seeds or berries there so that they don't further reproduce on your property.
Late summer and early fall are the times of year when the berries of many invasive plants ripen, like Asiatic bittersweet (bright yellow and orange berries), winged burning bush (reddish-purple berries), mile-a-minute vine (a striking metallic blue), porcelain berry (a range of white, yellow, lilac, or green berries that turn bright turquoise when fully ripe) and autumn olive (speckled red fruit). |
Ideally, you'll be seeking out and removing these plants BEFORE they produce berries, but if not, you can still interrupt the cycle and reduce next year's population of seedlings by cutting back, digging out or cut stem-treating invasives like these. Cut-stem treatment refers to the application of a very small amount of an herbicide like glyphosate with a small craft paintbrush to the cut stem of a vine. This is a viable alternative for plants that are too large to dig out with a shovel.
Just a reminder: Cutting Japanese Knotweed is not an effective control method and knotweed stalks should NEVER be placed in the brush pile. So except for knotweed, any invasive plants you have pulled up that do not contain seeds or berries can go in the regular brush piles. |
While most would agree that Japanese knotweed is one of the most aggressive and damaging invasive plant species, there are many other introduced plants that exhibit similar undesirable characteristics by:
Have you come across a plant in your yard you're unsure about? Browse the photo gallery here to help identify it. Once you've done so, you may choose to eliminate it from your property to prevent encroachment in your garden or to make room for more desirable species that support native wildlife.
- Out-competing native plants for resources
- Reducing native plant diversity
- Degrading natural habitat
- Contributing little or no food and shelter for native wildlife and pollinators
Have you come across a plant in your yard you're unsure about? Browse the photo gallery here to help identify it. Once you've done so, you may choose to eliminate it from your property to prevent encroachment in your garden or to make room for more desirable species that support native wildlife.
