Spring Has Sprung! A Plants Program Update
Spring is happening fast. The early season wildflowers, like houndstongue and trillium, are bumping right up to blooms we usually associate with early May, like redbud and Indian potatoes.
A spring that quickly moves towards summer makes for a busy weeding season too. At MKWC we try to get to our sites before the plant makes mature seeds and an earlier than usual bloom makes it feel like we need to be everywhere at once rather than progressing from low to high elevations, and from spring to summer bloomers. Thankfully we have a big and wonderful crew this year! (See photo below of some of their smiling faces). We are also involving the local schools to get kids outdoors to help pull invasive plants. We are happy to report that their youthful energy combined with some healthy competition is resulting in a big impact on invasive plant populations on the rivers.
MKWC Plants crewmembers. From left to right: Elben Andrews, April Jordan, Amber McVicar, Ryan Fitzwater (back), and Sarah Prukop (back right). Not pictured: Tanya Chapple, Juniper Somers, Amanaka Yancey, Teri Chanturai. Photo by April Jordan.
If you too are getting busy and pulling out invasive plants – report your efforts! You can use this link to share your part in the landscape effort to control weeds in our beautiful and biodiverse home. Need some help identifying invasive plants? Check out our invasive plant ID guide. Want to geek out on wildflowers? Check out the Wildflowers of the Mid Klamath video and see how many you know.
If you want to be involved, you can join us on one of our volunteer days. Our next volunteer day is on May 6, where we will be pulling invasive Dyer’s Woad (aka Marlahan Mustard) up Greyback Road in the Slater Fire footprint. Help the land recover from this fire by removing invasive plants that are moving in to the disturbed area. You can also work with the plants crew on a day that works for you – call us to make arrangements 530-627-3202 ext. 1009.
Youth group standing by their pile of eradicated invasive Scotch Broom.