Invasive Plants in Arlington

Bamboo Crew Hauling Bamboo

2012-01-16T21:00:00.000-05:00

The Lake Braddock Bamboo Crew

2012-01-16T17:59:00.000-05:00

Here's the great crew from Lake Braddock H.S. with some of the bamboo they transported from the draw on the west side of the meadow. Great work!

Volunteers and Ivy Pile

2012-01-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

Here are most of our volunteers and the almost-6-foot ivy pile they created.

Volunteers at Work 2

2012-01-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

Volunteers at Work

2012-01-16T17:54:00.000-05:00

Ivy Pile Goes Here -- National Day of Service 16 January 2012

2012-01-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

Today we held a Dr. Martin Luther King/National Day of Service event at Long Branch Nature Center, up at the meadow at the north end. WE had a nice total turnout of 16 people in sunny, brisk weather. I scouted before the event and set up this tape circle where I wanted a consolidated English ivy pile to go.

Not Invasive! Cults at Black Cat last night

2012-01-15T20:29:00.000-05:00

Amanda and Bill -- Invasives Warriors

2012-01-15T18:28:00.000-05:00

Amanda and Bill, and cleared area. We made tremendous progress today!

Another Aftermath Shot

2012-01-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

More of Today's Work Area -- After

2012-01-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

Note multiple ivy piles and cleared area in foreground, plus saved small trees.

Invasives Man and Amanda

2012-01-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

Volunteers and Results

2012-01-15T18:22:00.000-05:00

Here are some of our volunteers from today, from left to right the 3 Williamsburg students and one of their moms, Bill G, and Amanda from AmeriCorps. There was a huge amount more ivy and other invasive growth pulled today, but we wound up with multiple piles so this doesn't show the full sense of how much got pulled.

Saving a Tree

2012-01-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

These 3 students from Williamsburg Middle School were great workers, and smart and observant. Here they are saving a small tree from a dense growth of invasive vines, Japanese Honeysuckle, Wisteria, and English Ivy, that would have killed it.

Part of Today's Target Area

2012-01-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

Today's "Third Sunday" Event

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

Here are some of today's volunteers at work at the top of Nightmare Valley. Note the familiar abandoned stop sign .

Star Chickweed in Bloom in January!

2012-01-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

On Friday the 13th, I found this Star Chickweed blossom in Salamander Valley. Presumably, unseasonably warm days of late triggered the blooming.

Sea of Ivy at Upper Salamander Run

2012-01-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

I'm working in this area now. Expect a lot of whacking of all this English Ivy ahead.

Cranefly Orchids Colony -- The Old and the Young

2012-01-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here is the colony, with the mature Cranefly Orchids (Tipularia discolor) to the left and the very young ones that have germinated on the rotting log off to center right.

Cranefly Orchids Germinating on Rotten Log

2012-01-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

I found a paper that suggested that Cranefly Orchids require the presence of rotting wood. But I had never found very young plants germinating on rotting wood, until today. These young orchids are within 2 feet of a colony of mature orchids (see later post). Cool! If in doubt, note on high-res photo the purple underside of leaves at upper left and lower right.

Cleaning Upper Salamander Run

2012-01-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Today, for a change, I moved back to the northeast area of upper Salamander Run and tore out a fair amount of English ivy and Japanese honeysuckle. I did a lot of work in that area just under a year ago. I saw 3 resident deer across the run near the old hospital facility. Yesterday I worked on ivy and honeysuckle resprouts by the South 5th Street and S. Jefferson St. corner, where I also made good progress and found the Red-backed salamander shown in previous post.

Salamander Second Shot

2012-01-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

Today's Red-backed Salamander

2012-01-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

This little guy really wriggled when I first uncovered him. Then he settled down and let me take close-ups. Plethodon cinereus.

An Artifact -- Watching Over Nightmare Valley

2012-01-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

The AmeriCorps crew found and deployed this artifact. A Nightmare Valley mascot?

Another View of the Top of Nightmare Valley

2012-01-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

Another view of the top-most Nightmare Valley area, sans bamboo. Also notice the crazy (whacked) Wisteria vine in the center of the photo, up the tree.

Bamboo-Free Nightmare Valley

2012-01-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

This week AmeriCorps came back and removed the remaining whacked bamboo canes that I cut after their earlier work in late December. It turned out to be 3 more roll-aways. They weighed one of them and from that estimated that the total weight of removed bamboo was over 6 tons!! Wow. Super work; thanks AmeriCorps crew! In coming weeks we'll plan more work in this area to deal with remaining other invasive plants and non-vegetative debris that needs to be removed. Check their blog for more info and pictures, Run Mile Four.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

2012-01-01T18:44:00.000-05:00

This hawk very cooperatively posed for us near the pond at the golf course.

More CBC

2012-01-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

Countin' Birds Again

2012-01-01T18:36:00.000-05:00

Here are Elton and Susan at the Pohick Bay Golf Course early this New Year's Day 2012 morning as we did another Christmas Bird Count, the Fort Belvoir Circle. Jim also was with us.

Only One Year Ago

2011-12-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

Just for reference, here's what upper Nightmare Valley looked like just one year ago, 29 December 2010. Note the severe English Ivy infestation on the trees and the thick wall of Bamboo. Also there were lots of Bush Honeysuckle and Wisteria that now are mostly gone.

Upper Nightmare Valley, Clear of Bamboo

2011-12-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

Wow, before, these houses were invisible behind a thick wall of Bamboo. Now the final 400+ canes will need to be hauled away, along with huge amounts of other debris. The remaining invasive plants will need to be cleared. Bamboo regrowth will need to be monitored and cut. But Nightmare Valley is well on its way to becoming Pleasant Valley!Update: For some reason, Blogger doesn't seem to be allowing me to comment on my own blog posts!?! But, in response to the great comment from AmeriCorps, who by their calculations hauled away about 6 metric toms of bamboo from the site in 10 roll-away loads, here's what I tried to reply:'Wow, fantastic, and those numbers are amazing! Thanks for all the work, including figuring out the numbers. That is an incredible weight of bamboo. I know it was easier for me to just cut it than for all of you to haul it away, load it, cut it to size, etc. I promise, no more bamboo from me for a good while! Cheers, Steve"

Finished!

2011-12-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

This after I whacked almost 2500 Bamboo canes in an area of roughly 200 by 75 feet. Note the blue shed, now clearly visible.

More Jumble of Cut Canes

2011-12-30T22:52:00.000-05:00

After cutting, I did a little work to get the cut canes away from the fence line.

The Final Bamboo Cane

2011-12-30T22:51:00.000-05:00

Just before I whacked it.

The Last Stand of the Bamboo

2011-12-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

Note the halo ring around the sun, also.

Cut Cane Jumble

2011-12-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

Nightmare Valley Bamboo's Last Stand

2011-12-30T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today I went back to finish off the last canes standing. They were duly whacked, 12 tall living ones and 12 more short ones that had already been cut higher up by fence-builders. Note the blue shed barely visible in this shot.

Eastern Red-backed Salamander

2011-12-30T22:46:00.000-05:00

I found this Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) under wet leaf litter as I pulled up English Ivy by an intermittent stream near the Long Branch Nature Center building today.

AmeriCorps' Work

2011-12-29T21:50:00.002-05:00

The AmeriCorps crew was working at Nightmare Valley last week. Check out their blog entries for December 19-21, 2011 at: Run Mile Four.Over portions of 3 consecutive days, they hauled away about 2000 cut bamboo canes that filled 7 rollaways. Awesome work!!!

Ramifications

2011-12-29T21:46:00.002-05:00

So whacking the Bamboo at Nightmare Valley has ramifications. That large patch was used by a small group of White-tailed Deer as a safe resting place. No more. I don't mind that since I consider the deer a danger to the park as they overpopulate and overbrowse native vegetation. It also was used by certain humans who dumped a huge amount of debris in there, including a lot of food garbage and alcohol containers. This use may be starting to subside. Barred Owls used the patch. I deeply regret the loss of this roosting (and hunting?) area for the owls, big time. Other birds also seemed to roost in the bamboo, such as American Robins and White-throated Sparrows. I regret any adverse impact on them. And Gray Squirrels built drays in the canes. In fact, today, I saw a dray crash to the ground, and a squirrel ran away. I'm sorry. But there are lots of other places for the squirrels and other critters. On balance, I think the bamboo was a negative force for Nightmare Valley, and getting rid of it and the debris in that area is part of regenerating the valley into a healthy natural area. Comments are welcome.

Another Sunset Over Pleasant Ridge

2011-12-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

Once again this evening I was treated to a nice sunset after my plantwhacking efforts.

Looking South Up the End of Nightmare Valley at Dusk

2011-12-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

Here's the Bamboo almost gone.

Fallen Bamboo, Bye-bye

2011-12-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

Another View of Bamboo Badness

2011-12-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

This shows the patch and the tangle of cut canes. It can get scary trying to maneuver in these canes to get at the ones that still need whacking. I try to be careful. No problems today, but over the last several days I got hit on the head, clobbered again on the jaw, and punched in the mouth... All avoidable if I had been a little slower and more cautious. But no major injuries, thankfully.

Bamboo Destruction and Evening Jet Plane

2011-12-29T21:14:00.001-05:00

Last Cane

2011-12-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

This was the last cane of the easternmost part of the remaining Bamboo infestation. After I took this picture, I duly whacked it, with extreme prejudice.

This is it!

2011-12-29T21:12:00.000-05:00

This is it! Only about 11 Bamboo canes left to whack. I would have finished them today also, but the light was getting too dim to work safely.

Nightmare Valley Bamboo's Last Stand

2011-12-29T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the Bamboo's last stand as of the beginning of today's plantwhacking adventure. 126 cut canes later...

After a Lot of Whacking

2011-12-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Most of the 224 Bamboo canes have been whacked now. Note the new fence segment that is clearly visible after the canes were cut.

While I worked today, a neighbor poked her head over the fence and we chatted briefly. She seemed to be pleased that the bamboo was getting whacked. She noted the improved view she has now that the wall of bamboo is gone.

More of the Bamboo That Needed Whacking

2011-12-28T22:26:00.000-05:00

Boundary Bamboo

2011-12-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

Some of the remaining Bamboo at the east end of the Nightmare Valley patch, along the boundary line. These canes were among the 224 whacked today.

Sunset Exclamation Point

2011-12-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

Rainbow Over Long Branch

2011-12-27T18:11:00.000-05:00

This evening was a double-whammy of a nice sunset in the southwest and a rainbow rising the last sunlight in the northeast. It will be hard to see when not viewed at full resolution. But trust me, it's there, and it was a beauty.

Plantwhacker.com !

2011-12-27T18:05:00.003-05:00

I just did something I probably should have done long ago. I registered the domain "Plantwhacker.com" and took advantage of Google Blogger capabilities to have this blog co-exist across its long-term address plantwhacker.blogspot.com and just plantwhacker.com. I don't expect this to affect any of my faithful readers, but if you notice any issues, please let me know at: frazmo *AT* gmail *DOT* com (sorry about the anti-spam email address obfuscation).

Sunset Over Campbell Elementary

2011-12-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

Taken from Pleasant Ridge (just west of Nightmare Valley) as a rainstorm was moving out this evening.

Crescent Moon, End of Boxing Day

2011-12-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

The Debris Problem

2011-12-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

Many of the homeowners or their contractors, or others, have dumped large quantities of construction and woody debris over the fenceline into the park at the top of Nightmare Valley where the bamboo grew. Here is some renovation-related-looking debris, as well as Bamboo that has not yet met its fate.

Looking from Whacked Bamboo Patch Down Nightmare Valley

2011-12-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

We are getting there. Some day this will be a clean area.

Not-Quite-So Nightmare Valley

2011-12-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

Another view of the improving Nightmare Valley.

Nightmare Valley Continues to Become Less Nightmarish

2011-12-26T20:09:00.000-05:00

Today I returned to Nightmare Valley for some post-Christmas invasive plant destruction. I was impressed to see that clearly Sarah and AmeriCorps had been at work last week -- almost all of the hundreds of chopped Bamboo canes had been hauled away. It's a remarkable change to have a much larger area opened up with that bamboo gone. There still is more bamboo that needs whacking up close to the property line, plus there is a lot of other debris that will need hauling away, but this is tremendous progress. Today I whacked 70 more Bamboo vanes.

Beautiful Landforms With Snow

2011-12-20T20:54:00.000-05:00

Back on December 4, I was flying across the country to go to my first-ever American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco. Much of the landscape was covered with fresh snow that helped to bring out the topography. I was snapping away pictures like a little kid. This one is a favorite. We are probably over Wyoming a bit east of the Rockies.

Volunteers at Work Cleaning Up Nightmare Valley

2011-12-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here's the rest of today's group hard at work. The bamboo pole is my main BamPoCam pole.

Goodbye Ivy

2011-12-18T19:50:00.000-05:00

More fresh removed English Ivy.

Today's Third Sunday Event

2011-12-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Today our group of Alex, Robert, Bill , and I cleaned up more English Ivy and Japanese Honeysuckle at Nightmare Valley. We cleared a nice amount of area. Here's Robert, InvasivesMan, and Bill with one of today's plant piles.

What's Good About Poison Ivy?

2011-12-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

A highlight of yesterday's Christmas Bird Count at Long Branch Nature Center was a group of four Northern Flickers way up in a tree. We could tell they were eating something in vegetation up there. Binoculars confirmed what I suspected -- they were eating poison ivy berries on branches extending out from large vines on the tree. This poor-quality photo documents it. I try to explain to people that poison ivy not only is native, but an important wildlife food resource. Get rid of the poison ivy, and we may lose more of our wildlife. As humans, we just need to avoid it, not try to get rid of it. Supposedly, humans are the only organism that has a major problem with urushiol, the irritant compound in the plant. Also, I've seen no signs that the vines harm trees. They appear to be adapted to each other.

Counting Birds for Christmas Again

2011-12-17T18:17:00.000-05:00

Today Elton and I were out counting birds for the "DC Circle" Christmas Bird Count. We began with Long Branch Nature Center and then visited Lubber Run Park, Upton Hill Regional Park, an unnamed park next to Saint Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church, and Barcroft Park before a brief revisit to LBNC. The birding was rather mixed, but we did find some birds out there on this somewhat blustery day. Christmas counts help experts gain a sense of what is happening with winter bird populations all over the country. Best bird today? Elton spotted an immature Bald Eagle flying overhead at Lubber Run. Now I'm tired and stiff, but satisfied. The Northern Mockingbird pictured, from the unnamed park, is nothing exotic, but he's today's poster child anyway.

Amanda Waves at BamPoCam at Nightmare Valley

2011-12-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

We did a site survey at Nightmare Valley today and I launched another Bampocam deployment. Here Amanda waves from a little over 30 feet below the camera up on its bamboo pole. It's great to see this expanse of cleaned-up area.

Random Late Fall Color

2011-12-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

Found in a picture later; I hadn't noticed at the time...

Hello, Devil's Walking Stick

2011-12-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

Another Dusk on the Ridgetop

2011-12-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Where Dead Trees Still Reach for the Sky

2011-12-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Someday Nightmare Valley Will Become Pleasant Valley

2011-12-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

This dusk view encompasses all of upper Nightmare Valley. The invasives-infested area is shrinking into the upper center of the view. Suddenly it begins to look much more tractable from here, to the northwest. Can we finish the job, clean it up, and turn this little patch into Pleasant Valley? Why not? Why not take a piece of land that we had allowed to deteriorate into a nightmare, and bring it back? Why not make it a place that people would like to see and walk through? Why not make it a nice piece of habitat for wildlife? Yeah.

Moss

2011-12-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

Sparser Bamboo

2011-12-11T00:02:00.000-05:00

Here's the remaining Bamboo at the head of nightmare valley. I'm going to go out on a limb and call this about 150 canes. Shouldn't be much longer...

Water in Nightmare Stream

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

After Wednesday's heavy rain, a tiny bit of water was flowing in Nightmare Stream. Will all the invasives work and cleanup improve the hydrology and create more flow in the stream? Only continued work and time will tell.

Back to Work at Nightmare Valley -- After

2011-12-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

I whacked a bunch more English Ivy today.

Back to Work at Nightmare Valley -- Before

2011-12-10T23:33:00.000-05:00

Another Mushroom

2011-12-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Heavy rains Wednesday brought some mushrooms out.

Mushroom with Maple Leaf

2011-12-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

Blue Fungus

2011-12-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

This stick covered with blue fungus was buried under a dense English Ivy carpet at Nightmare Valley. I've found a few of these over the years.

Late Butterfly

2011-12-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

This butterfly was out very late, November 27. (Update) After a delay, I was able to do some ID work -- I think this is a Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia).

White-throated Sparrow

2011-12-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

At Nightmare Valley. As dusk fell, many White-throateds were moving into the Bamboo patch, calling and occasionally singing their haunting, pitched-high little song.

Moonrise Over Nightmare Valley

2011-12-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

Late Vaccinium Color

2011-12-03T19:22:00.000-05:00

Nightmare Valley Bamboo Patch Continues to Shrink

2011-12-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

Here's the patch this evening after I whacked 40 more Bamboo canes. The freshly whacked canes show with green foliage dropped down. There isn't that much left...

Under Whacked Bamboo

2011-11-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

Back on Friday I found myself semi-prone underneath a lot of whacked Bamboo canes and fallen tree branches, reaching for and whacking missed Bamboo. It did occur to me that if the mass of stuff over me shifted, I could get pinned in place, and that wouldn't be good... But I knew I was within shouting distance of fellow humans anyway.

The Top of Nightmare Valley

2011-11-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

Temporarily this area has turned into even more of a gauntlet because of all the bamboo canes that have fallen to block it. Plus it has fallen trees, dumped debris, and the inevitable thick carpet of English Ivy.

Dense Bamboo

2011-11-26T21:04:00.001-05:00

I whacked some of these canes yesterday. This is about as dense as I have seen bamboo get in the park.

Looking Down Nightmare Valley As Seen from BamPoCam

2011-11-26T18:38:00.000-05:00

It's cool to see how almost all this area is cleaned up of invasives, except for the very lower left bit. This view is looking North.

Nightmare Valley By BamPoCam

2011-11-26T18:18:00.000-05:00

Another perspective on the diminishing Bamboo patch.

Looking South, Nightmare Valley, Sunset

2011-11-26T18:13:00.000-05:00

This evening, as dusk fell, I heard many White-throated Sparrows and American Robins moving into the Bamboo area, plus I saw at least two Northern Cardinals. There is no question all these birds are using the area for shelter. Plus, in the past, a Barred Owl was known to hang out here. What is the impact of whacking the invasives in this spot? I wish I knew. It probably is mixed. I think the sparrows may prefer the shelter afforded by the whacked Bamboo that is in a horizontal position, but the Robins may not be so happy.

We may want to construct some brush shelters later with some of the bamboo.

Sunset Again at Long Branch Nature Center

2011-11-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

Sunset Over Nightmare Valley

2011-11-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

Nightmare Valley Bamboo, Much Reduced

2011-11-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today I cut 142 more Bamboo canes in this Nightmare Valley grove.

Another Long Branch Nature Center Sunset

2011-11-25T19:05:00.000-05:00

Immature Cooper's Hawk

2011-11-20T20:28:00.002-05:00

I saw this immature Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) perched up in a nearby tree observing the scene while I whacked Bamboo yesterday.

Improving Nightmare Valley

2011-11-20T19:21:00.000-05:00

Slowly but surely, the valley improves. Here, newly whacked Rose of Sharon trees in the foreground.

Spider!

2011-11-20T19:18:00.000-05:00

This spider turned up underneath the English Ivy.

Today's 3rd Sunday Crew

2011-11-20T17:43:00.000-05:00

A great group of volunteers turned out for today's "3rd Sunday" event at Long Branch Nature Center. We had nice, relatively warm weather, with a high of 67F, although cloudy. I think this shows almost everyone except Marty, who had to leave a bit earlier, and yours truly, behind the camera. Two nice big ivy piles are visible. It was nice to meet three of Arlington's new AmeriCorps crew who joined us to help. I've been a fan of AmeriCorps since meeting the first crew who worked on invasives in Arlington back in Spring 2004.

Getting There...

2011-11-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

This view looking east across Nightmare Valley shows a lot of cleared area that was English Ivy-covered. Still trouble to the right (South) including remaining Bamboo patch out of this shot.

The Diminishing Nightmare Valley Bamboo Grove

2011-11-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

Sixty-two fewer canes after today's plantwhacking.