The Trust’s restoration team has been working on invasive plant removal and treatments for many years. In the first photo taken in 2007, you can see that areas around our waterways were once an impenetrable forest of an invasive species called Sesbania punicea.
Sesbania punicea is an invasive plant that is poisonous to nearly all of our native wildlife, provides minimal habitat value, and its dense growth prohibited native plants from gaining ground. In the second photo taken 15 years later, we are now seeing a diverse array of beneficial native species where the Sesbania punicea once dominated.
Some of the native species you can see below are:
· Narrow Leaf-Milkweed (which is a vital host plant for monarch butterflies)
· Sandbar and Goodding's Willow (vital to riparian birds and other species)
· Cottonwood Saplings
· Mugwort (a species equally beneficial to humans and wildlife alike due to its medicinal qualities)
Invasive species management doesn't sound very exciting but it's a critical part of the work to restore habitat for local wildlife. Over time, this work has changed large swaths of the river corridor from silent monocultures to vibrant multi cultures that hum with life.