We spent the morning volunteering for Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries as part of a work group to clean up Boyer Nature Preserve. The event was a part of Picture This 2009 but FACT organizes many of these types of projects around the community in the spring.
About 25 people helped out-young and old alike. Most of them were from the neighborhood.
The major focus of the project was to clean out the evasive honeysuckle which grows up and prevents light from getting to the forest floor and thus prevents native wildflowers from thriving. Some of the volunteers also picked up trash and cut multiflora rose and pulled up wild garlic mustard-two other non-natives that are prolific in the preserve.
These folks are dragging honeysuckle to the front of the preserve. The city will later bring in a chipper truck and grind it all up and dispose it.
These folks are dragging honeysuckle to the front of the preserve. The city will later bring in a chipper truck and grind it all up and dispose it.
Andrew and I worked the trail by the lake and later went to the back of the preserve to cut and carefully chemically treat some larger honeysuckle that was overshadowing a stand of pawpaw trees. It was a nice morning to be outside.
I happened upon a large field of trout lily. What a spectacular sight!
After the cleanup small shrubs called Spicebush were planted in hopes of establishing a population and also some trillium and virigina bluebells (above). If the flowers can gain a foot hold it will be very lovely to see each spring.
