Volunteers needed- Last day for Black Swallowwort Control near Sudbury River

There are many thousands of Black Swallow-wort plants near the Sudbury River. These plants are a relative of Common Milkweed. Monarchs mistake the plants which are from Spain and Portugal for native milkweeds and lay their eggs on them. Resulting larvae do not survive when they eat the leaves.

Monarchs are one of most important pollinators. They tend to our flowers, fruits and vegetables. They feed a high number of of native wildlife. When less and less Monarchs return here or migrate to the west, we all are going to have a problem. There is another species of plant in the west, equally invasive which they do not tolerate.

The timing for doing something is critical. The vines with pods need to be cut down and bagged in the summer before they seed. Using this timing, plants do not have the energy to regrow to the podding point. These come back yearly so we dig out the root crowns until the end when pods have to be collected or will dry and crack open. This will be the last day to do something this year.

Black Swallow-wort pods dry and crack open in summer. The seeds float to
new places, are picked up and carried by cars, animals or even humans.
They spread rapidly and like the dry and hot summer here. We are trying
to prevent at least some of the spread from this huge population. A
small population was found near the 27 bridge on Water Row Road. People
from Lincoln,Sudbury and Wayland use the road near this site
daily. They often use Water Row Road as a cut through for commuting and home.
How many seeds will end up in our communities unless we reduce the
seeding? We hope we do not need to know.

It takes a fairly large number of people to dig out root crowns and to cut the vines with developing pods in summer. A few people have agreed to help on July 15 for two hours. We thank them, but we need others to recognize that this project can't be ignored. We have had one offer to help from a Sudbury resident. We would like to hear from more people. Help us reach others even if you cannot help do the work. College students or seniors looking for something to do are welcomed.  Area high school students and at times, in-coming high school students can earn service hours helping us. If SWEET, Inc. is not listed as an approved chariable organization, let us know so we can connect with your community service coordinator.

To help, get directions for location and parking, please contact the group at sweetinvasives@Gmail.com or message on public Facebook page www.Facebook.com/sweetincsudburyma. There you will also find a photo album about Black Swallow-wort and other target invasive plant species.