South Windsor Invasive Plants Working Group is dedicated to spreading the awareness of invasive species and removal techniques. We host hands-on work parties and provide educational outreach to our community.
❝The Balance of Life: Native insects need native plants to survive. Native birds and mammals need native insects (as well as native plants) to survive. No native insects, no higher forms of life.❞
Dr. Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home
Our work parties have so far focused on the property adjacent to the town hall at the corner of Ellington Road and Peterson Way. The plot was entirely overgrown with a non-native invasive understory consisting of primarily winged euonymus ranging in size from seedlings to small trees and asiatic bittersweet vines, some large enough to be strangling full size trees. Through the hard work of volunteers with support from our town of South Windsor great progress has been made though there is still work to be done.
At town events we have set up an educational table to better inform our community of the dangers of non-native invasive plant, what can be done about them, and the importance of native flora to the health of the ecosystem.
Species |
Species |
Factsheet |
Photos |
Go Botany |
---|---|---|---|---|
Euonymus alatus | Winged euonymus | NRCS | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Celastrus orbiculatus | Asiatic bittersweet | NRCS | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Elaeagnus umbellata | Autumn olive | CIPWG.pdf | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Alliaria petiolata | Garlic mustard | UNH | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Polygonum cuspidatum | Japanese knotweed | Michigan | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Rosa multiflora | Multiflora rose | UConn IPM | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Berberis thunbergii | Japanese barberry | UConn IPM | Invasive.org | Go Botany |
Elaeagnus angustifolia | Russian olive | Maine | Invasive.org | Go Botany |