Post by Jason Ksepka on Apr 12, 2018 22:28:38 GMT -5
Hello,
There is a bog in Ocean county, NJ that a friend planted some S. rubra and S. minor in almost 50 years ago. There is quite a bit to this story, but I'll save it for conversation with anyone who wants to talk about it. Suffice it to say that this individual did not realize that this might be a problem, and thoughts on these matters were quite different back then. A number of years ago he called me and told me to go remove the plants because they were getting out of control. I am on good terms with the landowner, a private conservation non-profit. I was given permission to go in at any time to remove the non-native plants and any hybrids. The S. minor have been removed and there doesn't appear to be any hybrids of this plant around the site. The S. rubra is another matter. I removed many large clumps of rubra nd the hybrids between it and the only native species in NJ, S. purpurea. But there are still some popping up here and there. I also have not been able to cover the entire creek and I suspect that there are more plants further downstream than I have been able to get.
So now to the request....I would like to put together a small field trip to the site to try t explore the remaining creek basin and remove any rubra and hybrids that are found. Anyone who comes is welcome to take any plants recovered if they like. The bog is a very beautiful habitat with many amazing species growing in it. The work will be very wet and muddy as this is a floating sphagnum bog. The footing is unstable at best and frequent plunges into very cold mud with lots of dead cedars to smash your shins against are common. In addition to these difficulties, I will be a gentle but very firm steward of this site and will require any visitors to please be very careful of where they place their feet as many rare species like to grow in the same tussocks that people like to use for walking. Please just resign yourself to geting very wet and muddy. It is a lot more fun that way. So now that I painted such a fun picture for you, who would like to come? and what day in June would work for you guys? I can fit several people in my Subaru forester if anyone needs a ride and can get to my house in Farmingdale NJ, or meet us along the way. 4-wheel drive is not essential, but it is a plus. We'll have to bring lunch and water or a filter with us and either carry out plants, or just spread them out in the sun to dry. The Pinelands are quite beautiful and this bog is one of the best left. The seed ticks are not going to be out yet, so it will just be the regular deer, dog, and lone-star ticks. I find that permithren spray on my pants works very well.
Please respond to this thread with any questions, comments, or concerns. Or you can call/text me at 732-618-4748. Kevin, I expect you to squeeze out a day to join us! You gotta get out for some fun at least once in the summer.
There is a bog in Ocean county, NJ that a friend planted some S. rubra and S. minor in almost 50 years ago. There is quite a bit to this story, but I'll save it for conversation with anyone who wants to talk about it. Suffice it to say that this individual did not realize that this might be a problem, and thoughts on these matters were quite different back then. A number of years ago he called me and told me to go remove the plants because they were getting out of control. I am on good terms with the landowner, a private conservation non-profit. I was given permission to go in at any time to remove the non-native plants and any hybrids. The S. minor have been removed and there doesn't appear to be any hybrids of this plant around the site. The S. rubra is another matter. I removed many large clumps of rubra nd the hybrids between it and the only native species in NJ, S. purpurea. But there are still some popping up here and there. I also have not been able to cover the entire creek and I suspect that there are more plants further downstream than I have been able to get.
So now to the request....I would like to put together a small field trip to the site to try t explore the remaining creek basin and remove any rubra and hybrids that are found. Anyone who comes is welcome to take any plants recovered if they like. The bog is a very beautiful habitat with many amazing species growing in it. The work will be very wet and muddy as this is a floating sphagnum bog. The footing is unstable at best and frequent plunges into very cold mud with lots of dead cedars to smash your shins against are common. In addition to these difficulties, I will be a gentle but very firm steward of this site and will require any visitors to please be very careful of where they place their feet as many rare species like to grow in the same tussocks that people like to use for walking. Please just resign yourself to geting very wet and muddy. It is a lot more fun that way. So now that I painted such a fun picture for you, who would like to come? and what day in June would work for you guys? I can fit several people in my Subaru forester if anyone needs a ride and can get to my house in Farmingdale NJ, or meet us along the way. 4-wheel drive is not essential, but it is a plus. We'll have to bring lunch and water or a filter with us and either carry out plants, or just spread them out in the sun to dry. The Pinelands are quite beautiful and this bog is one of the best left. The seed ticks are not going to be out yet, so it will just be the regular deer, dog, and lone-star ticks. I find that permithren spray on my pants works very well.
Please respond to this thread with any questions, comments, or concerns. Or you can call/text me at 732-618-4748. Kevin, I expect you to squeeze out a day to join us! You gotta get out for some fun at least once in the summer.
