Ironically…

We have spent more and more time in recent years controlling exotic, invasive plants.  A simple walk through the landscape with one of us can be an eye-opener, and we welcome the opportunity to meet you and help identify the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Here a Sheffield woodland is flush with the spring crop of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard).  This plant steals (and water, and nutrients, and space) the light from many other native woodland wildflowers and saplings of woody plants.  Garlic Mustard is known to have been in the U.S. since at least 1868, and was probably used as medicine or food (we can only hope it will become stylish again to eat this plant).

A given plant can produce hundreds if not thousands of offspring, and if you can possibly avoid its going to seed, please do so for your own good and that of your neighbors.  This plant can actually be pulled easily, but this patch got out of hand and required our professional attention.

What is Invasive Species Management?

Invasive Species include plants, insects, and disease pathogens that, left unchecked, can cause serious imbalances in the natural world. For purposes of what we do here at Webster Ingersoll, this relates primarily to non-native (exotic) plants that can out-compete the native plants in our forests as well as in the gardens and landscapes that we maintain. Ten years ago, this issue was barely on our radar as an industry. Today, it has become a challenging component of land stewardship for homeowners and conservation groups, and an integral part of the comprehensive landcare Webster Ingersoll provides. Our team has worked with international conservation groups to tackle massive infestations of Phragmites, Japanese Honeysuckle, Japanese Barberry, or European Buckthorn. But some of our most important work can happens in the back yards of our clients, where eradicating a small emerging patch of Japanese Knotweed may be what keeps it from gaining a toe-hold in your neighborhood. We can help you to pick your battles, and to wage them. Contact us today!