As the weather warms up, our lawns and gardens spring back to life. But among your cultivated plants and flowers, you may have also noticed some "invasive" plants which have been moving into our wooded areas, meadows, and backyards here in Woodbridge, just as they have across the New England states.
Invasive species are defined as plants that are non-native (or alien) to the local ecosystem, and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm. Getting to the root of the problem is often difficult as it is a very time-intensive task to remove these plants from your property and prevent their regrowth.
In 2015 the Town of Woodbridge engaged in a process to update our 10-year Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and among the agreed upon goals of this plan the task of engaging residents in protecting the environment in Woodbridge was assigned to one of our Town commissions. The Commission on the Use of Publicly Owned Property (CUPOP) was chosen to lead these education efforts and has begun to host a series of informational workshops on topics related to protecting the environment. On the First Tuesday of the month, the public is invited to learn more and get involved!
To kick-off the CUPOP “First Tuesday” series of workshops, the Commission chose Invasive Plants as its topic with the goal of informing the public how it can support, sustain, and restore plant species diversity in Woodbridge, and help maintain the health and resilience of the Town’s environment.
This workshop will take place on Tuesday, May 7th 2019 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Woodbridge Town Library. The event will feature a talk by Rose Hiskes from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. She will provide a broad overview of the invasive plant issue, and the origins, identifying characteristics and life cycles of some species commonly encountered in Connecticut. Herbarium specimens and live samples will be available to make this a hands-on event. The public is also invited to bring a sample of any “mystery” plant on their property they would like help identifying.