Today’s Fun Fact Friday launches a series called “10 Terrible Weeds”.

#1 English Ivy

These weeds are what are known as invasive plants which present great problems for natural lands and are found on many of our permanent preserves and across the County. Their introduction is often accidental but over time, cause ecological disruption to natural ecosystems.

The Land Trust staff have been working over the last several years to remove English Ivy on our Archer Taylor Preserve. This invasive plant can spread rapidly and silently over many acres. It’s toxic to dogs, cats, horses and to a lesser extent, other creatures. It kills trees as the weight of ivy combines with rainwater to bring down branches and sometimes whole trees. Invasive plants like this ivy, have few natural predators, allowing them to easily become established and to out compete as well as displace native plants, disrupting entire ecological processes.

We continue to dramatically reduce this dense invasive species to allow the natural habitat be restored and to preserved for generations to come.

Want to help? Join us for a work party, where we have one coming up on June 10th! Click here to find out more.