McMahon Woods & Fen Saturday July 9
Unable to make this one myself, will rely primarily on pictures from Doug Bosco's FB post. It was another assault on white sweetclover (Melilotus alba) on the prairie at McMahon, a continuation of the prior Saturday's effort. The recent drought-like conditions (officially our area is "abnormally dry", one step better than the moderate drought affecting areas to our south and west) make our work tougher since the plants are harder to uproot from dry soil.
I've talked about melilotus in the past. It is a tenacious foe, a prolific seeder that, unlike many non-natives which can be controlled by prescribed fire, has seeds that seems to respond enthusiastically (by germinating) when a field is burned. It's been known to persist in fields that have been burned annually for ten years. Very tough, which is why we're typically back at McMahon a couple times or more, each year. Click here for a deep dive into this plant.
Unable to make this one myself, will rely primarily on pictures from Doug Bosco's FB post. It was another assault on white sweetclover (Melilotus alba) on the prairie at McMahon, a continuation of the prior Saturday's effort. The recent drought-like conditions (officially our area is "abnormally dry", one step better than the moderate drought affecting areas to our south and west) make our work tougher since the plants are harder to uproot from dry soil.
I've talked about melilotus in the past. It is a tenacious foe, a prolific seeder that, unlike many non-natives which can be controlled by prescribed fire, has seeds that seems to respond enthusiastically (by germinating) when a field is burned. It's been known to persist in fields that have been burned annually for ten years. Very tough, which is why we're typically back at McMahon a couple times or more, each year. Click here for a deep dive into this plant.
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