Gorge Stewards Quarterly — Fall 2005

In this issue

• A thorny issue
• Gorge Stewards pull their weight
• Plant identification hikers take a closer look
• Gorge Stewards dock at Watergate

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A thorny issue

FMRs Gorge Stewards and other environmentalists have been pulling their weight this fall trying to remove European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) from park woodlands in our gorge neighborhoods.

Buckthorn was introduced to the United States from Europe perhaps as early as the 1700s and has been making its way west ever since. In Minnesota it was planted widely as an ornamental shrub. Common buckthorn hasnt been sold since the 1930s, but cultivars of its relative Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) were sold in Minnesota until 2000, when the plant was listed as a noxious weed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Buckthorn grows quickly and forms a thick hedge. Since it is an exotic species it has no natural predators, is disease resistant, and thrives in a wide variety of soil and light conditions. Also, since buckthorns growing season is roughly fifty days longer than any native woody plant, you can spot it as the only green thing growing in the gorge in late fall.

The problem spreads

Plants are very proficient at perpetuating themselves, thus buckthorn doesnt stay in one place for very long. The shrubs produce scores of fertile berries that are eaten by — and act as a laxative — birds who spread the seeds in droppings. Buckthorn usurps light, nutrients, and space from native flowers, shrubs and trees and creates a monoculture that drives away wildlife.

And removing these shrubs is no easy task, as any Gorge Steward will tell you. Small plant seedlings can be removed by hand or with the help of a kitchen pliers. Larger seedlings can be removed by the roots using a weed wrench if trunks are roughly less than an inch in diameter. Otherwise, the seedlings must be cut to a short stump, and treated with an herbicide to prevent resprouting.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has sponsored research to develop a biological control, an insect or fungus that would attack buckthorn without harming other species. Biological controls have been developed for other invasive plants such as leafy spurge and purple loosestrife, but buckthorn research could take years to complete. In the meantime, Gorge Stewards and other neighborhood volunteers maintain the one-on-one combat approach.

Bust your buckthorn

Left to its own devices, buckthorn will eventually deprive us of, among other things, the fall display of color in the gorge. But theres little value in removing buckthorn from public lands if there are still seed sources in our and our neighbors yards.

The best time to identify buckthorn is late fall. Again, buckthorn will retain its dark-green, oval leaves long after the leaves of most deciduous trees have changed color or fallen. Female buckthorn also has dense clusters of black berries, many of which remain on the branches until early spring.

If you think you have buckthorn on your property and you live in Longfellow or Seward neighborhoods, contact Hillary Oppmann at Longfellow Community Council for information about removal incentives, 612-722-4529 x3.

Life after buckthorn

After you remove your residential buckthorn hedge, replace it with some desirable native shrubs:

Arrowood Viburnum (Viburnum rafinesquianum)

A wonderful plant for wildlife with creamy flower clusters, dry black fruits, outstanding fall color. Tolerates dry soil and shade. Dense foliage makes excellent nesting habitat.

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Requires rich, moist soils and partial sun. Attractive white flowers in early summer; shiny black berries with lovely red foliage in autumn.

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

Rich soils, partial sun to shade. Branches spread in horizontal layers give the tree a beautiful form.

High-bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

Lovely spring flowers and persistent red berries. Can be pruned to a dense hedge.

For Minnesota native shrubs and trees, visit Outback Nursery in Hastings, 651-438-2771 or online.

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Gorge Stewards pull their weight

This fall Gorge Stewards helped remove the invasive buckthorn from restoration sites and high traffic areas in the river gorge. Volunteers from Macalester-Groveland, Longfellow, and Seward neighborhoods participated in removals on Mississippi River Boulevard in St. Paul near St. Clair and Randolph Avenue; and West River Parkway near 36th Street and 44th Street in Minneapolis.

Carolyn Carr of Ecological Strategies helps manage the restoration sites in the gorge. She took note of the results at sites where volunteers removed a dense thicket of buckthorn two seasons ago. Blooms of woodland wildflowers like bloodroot, wild geranium and jack in the pulpit re-emerged as a carpet on the shady slope. These species werent planted, they grew out of the native seed bank of the site and were given a fighting chance when the buckthorn was removed.

If youd like to become involved in the ongoing protection and restoration of habitat restoration efforts at this site and others in the gorge, contact sue rich at Friends of the Mississippi River through our contact form or at 651-222-2193 x14.

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Plant identification hikers take a closer look

In June as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them. — Aldo Leopold

Appreciation for natural areas blossoms when we head out together on foot to learn the names of the trees, grasses and flowers, to touch and smell them, and to find out what impact they make in the landscape. This summer, a tree identification workshop led by urban forester Dave Hanson; and a plant hike led by conservation biologist Carolyn Carr drew 50 curious plant lovers who welcomed the opportunity. It was a real treat to hang out with a professional who can identify just about anything, said participant Justin. During the plant hike, an indigo bunting perched itself in an oak tree above the group and sang for nearly five minutes.

Friends of the Mississippi River Gorge Stewards host educational programs like these to broaden knowledge about ways our community is improved by preservation of greenspace and natural areas. We hope that when community members understand the watershed protection, air purification, and wildlife habitat benefits of these areas, they become more invested in them, and more active in preserving them.

You can become active in the protection and restoration efforts in the gorge by becoming politically involved, supporting organizations like FMR, or participating as a Gorge Steward. Contact sue rich at Friends of the Mississippi River through our contact form or at 651-222-2193 x14.

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Gorge Stewards dock at Watergate

It might seem surprising to visit a marina for an interpretive tour, but in September Gorge Stewards met at The Ship Store at the uppermost marina on the Mississippi River to learn more about stormwater management with native plants.

The managers at Saint Pauls Watergate Marina, located near the marshes of Crosby Lake along wooded bottomlands next to the river, have implemented revegetation projects that allow them to serve the recreational boating community while reducing erosion, restoring wildlife habitat, and improving water quality. Beginning in 2003, the marina undertook major clean-up and restoration in partnership with the City of Saint Paul and the Highland District Council. With rain gardens infiltrating parking lot run-off, a prairie restoration attracting beneficial insects and butterflies, and several holding basins reducing sediment pollution, this project-in-progress is improving an important area of the river corridor.