Join Illinois Extension Energy and Environmental Stewardship Educator Jay Solomon on Thursday, November 14 at the Jo Daviess County Extension Office, 204 Vine St. Elizabeth, IL, for a Fall Invasive Species workshop. The program will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. There is no fee to attend the program, but pre-registration is requested by November 12. To register or for more information please visit us online at go.illinois.edu/jsw or call us at 815-858-2273.

Fall is an excellent time to identify and work on controlling many of the invasive plants in our timber and prairie areas.  Woody invasive plants such as autumn olive, buckthorn, bush honeysuckle, and multiflora rose are easier to identify and manage this time of year.

Why should we be concerned? “These plants are classified as exotic invasive species because they are not natives of the area and have distributive growth habits.  They establish easily and displace native plants in our landscape without providing the same benefits to nature,” comments Jay Solomon, Energy and Environmental Stewardship Educator.   “For example bush honeysuckle can take over the understory of a forest area. Preventing tree seedlings from establishing, reducing safe and suitable nesting locations for song birds, and the berries provide a lower nutrition level for these birds. There are no winners except the bush honeysuckle.”

Why right now?  “Woody invasive plants tend to be the last to go dormant in the winter,” Solomon continues.  “Leaving the green plants in otherwise dormant landscape, easy to locate.  They are building up nutrient stores in the roots, which make them more vulnerable to control measures.”   Mechanical (cutting or pulling), chemical control, and combinations of methods will be discussed.

The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation Strike Team will be assisting in the presentation and weather permitting the group will travel to a local forest preserve to do on site observations after the classroom portion so please dress accordingly.