August and Everything After

 Two hard-fought battles were waged at PKP this month. What follows are accounts from the spoils of war.

8/5/23

Nine fearless and determined park warriors amassed this sweltering August morning to inflict permanent harm on woody exotics. Working mainly in paired groups, we contoured the hillside of the wetland, slashing and girdling every privet, Nandina, and Chinese Holly in sight. The destruction was a beautiful sight to behold. Our efforts are producing a visible beneficial effect on the structure of the woods here. As we remove more and more exotic vegetation from the understory, midstory, and canopy, more light reaches the previously suppressed native vegetation that forms the backbone of this ecosystem. 

It was a morning of many photo ops. 

Zach and Katie -code name suite life of Zach and Katie- deserve special recognition for their herculean efforts in clearing English Ivy and Chinese Privet from the springhead, where they received their official PKP baptism.

Full Send

Their efforts were rewarded by the discovery of an amphibian amigo. 

And to conclude, here are a few habitat shots showing visible progress:

Hell on left, Heaven on right

Privet desolation 

8/19/23

A hearty crew of five basked in the nice, cool, and dry fall weather to continue the crusade against woody exotics at the Park. 

Witch-Hazel holding on

Paw Paw

Utricularia sp.

We had a ball as we head for the thick of it, making loads of progress and also unlocking further reaches to be conquered. Waders and muck boots were a staple of the day as we approached the wetlands to clear them of their invasions. We waxed the first of the Chinese Tallowtrees of the project-the first of many. But fortunately we're catching this invasion much earlier than that of the Glossy Privet and English Ivy, which are firmly established in large portions of the park. It was during these aquatic strikes that this crappy photo of the only carnivorous plants that I know of in the park was captured (little yellow flowers). These Bladderworts are truly remarkable plants that capture and digest small organisms like mosquito larvae underwater. I'd say that's something worth fighting for.

I'm so looking forward to seeing what September has in store! Long live the Ivy League!!