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my daughters class spent a morning at Churchill Park helping to clear out the invading buckthorn trees and planting new shrubs. I made a quick, amateur, video of a fraction of their work there. Before this, I had no idea how beautiful this park was turning out to be.
(Edited to correct improperly formatted link.) Posters — please use the “URL" tab above the text entry box. Do not post long URLs directly. Thanks! —Ted E.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ted E.,
Posts: 22 | Location: Glen Ellyn, Il, USA | Registered: August 05, 2003
Thanks for linking the video. I agree that Churchill Park, with its marsh areas and woodland path is quite lovely, but even as a passive use park it appears underutilized. It is great to get the kids out to experience first-hand how caring for Glen Ellyn's natural environments takes some work!
This is a perfect time of year to identify and remove this non-native invasive species in your own yard and garden, as it is still very lush and green while most of our native plants are not. It looks like this: invasive common buckthorn
GEmom2: What an excellent reference on buckthorn! And it appears that now is a good season for removing it. I note that on pages 5 and 6 chemical controls and methods for using mechanical and chemical control are described in detail. I've heard that amateurs do more harm than good by cutting buckthorn where they can't follow up.
Originally posted by GEmom2: This is a perfect time of year to identify and remove this non-native invasive species in your own yard and garden, as it is still very lush and green while most of our native plants are not.
What if this is the only tree in your yard providing shade?
Every berry from that tree has several seeds in it. Birds and other animals eat the berries and, without going into more detail, pretty soon buckthorn seedlings are growing everywhere. Don't you find a lot of the little tree weeds in your yard and beds? In native woodlands it chokes out other understory plants with the deep shade it creates, so tiny oak trees and other non-nuisance plants do not survive.
If you tell me you are also enjoying your plantings of garlic mustard, I am coming over with my garden gloves and handsaw for an eco-intervention!!
More than 1000 volunteers have contributed 3400 hours towards the restoration of Churchill Park since Eco Restoration Work Days began in 2008. More information on those here.
Yup, the purple bird droppings are staining my deck. But my one shady buckthorn, is nothing compared to the hundreds of them in the off-limits Manor woods.
DTM, you can get excellent tree information from the Morton Arboretum, to consider type of shade, mature height, whether the species is fast or slow to grow, and much more. Get the Conservation Foundation to send someone to visit you and talk over your yard, your needs for shade or wildlife habitat, sun angles at different times of year, and how to choose a tree. Then get the buckthorn properly removed and replace it with one or more new trees.
