NASC Volunteer Opportunity: Remove one of Michigan’s top 20 invaders 

In Parkview Hills, Honeysuckle is robust along some of our trails. Join us on Saturday, November 16, 9:30 am to noon to remove this invader from our natural areas. We will gather at the Clubhouse at 9:30 for a brief tutorial on Honeysuckle identification and removal. We will then head into the natural area along the trail in teams to cut Honeysuckle, treat the stumps with herbicide, and stack the cut stems along the trail. At a later date, the stems will be chipped and the chips will be spread on the trail surface, thereby turning an invader into a resource for our trails.

Like many invasive species, Honeysuckle was imported from Eurasia and Japan in the 19^th century as a landscaping and garden shrub. In forested or wooded natural areas like Parkview Hills’, it quickly throws off the balance of nature, forming dense stands of 6-16 foot shrubs that crowd out native plants and reduce food and reproduction resources for songbirds, butterflies, and other insects. As one of Michigan’s Top 20 invasive plants, Honeysuckle, in particular, upsets the balance of plants, insects, and birds in an ecosystem. Not only does it discourage our native plants, but its foliage is unpalatable to most native insects. Songbirds especially rely on insects to feed their young. Where Honeysuckle thrives, native songbirds and pollinators do not.

If it rains, we will reschedule. Questions? Contact Vaughn Maatman, chair of PH Natural Areas Stewardship Committee, at maatmanv@gmail.com