This month, Friends of the Blue Hills organized volunteers to remove the invasive plant called mile-a-minute from Fowl Meadow, the northwestern portion of the Blue Hills in Dedham and Milton. As implied by its name, this prickly vine quickly outgrows native plants. In Fowl Meadow, the plant is threatening rare and endangered plants in the area. By working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Friends of the Blue Hills volunteers meticulously uprooted these invasive plants and removed the seeds that would allow the invasive to grow next year. In fact, these seeds could stay dormant in the soil for years or if they found themselves in the nearby Neponset River, they could float downstream and start invading over native plants further downstream.
You can join us to pull mile-a-minute this Sunday, July 21 at 8 am. For other upcoming opportunities to maintain the trails, preserve the forest and have fun in the Blue Hills, visit the Blue Hills Reservation events calendar.
From left to right: Stephanie Radner ( Dedham), Alexandra Echandi (Department of Conservation and Recreation) Fran O’Neill (Canton), Anne Dalavurak Canton, Ross Edwards (Quincy) and James LaFond-Lewis (Hyde Park).
