On 5/21/23, members of AYLUS Syosset participated in the invasive plant clean up at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. The iris garden was created in the 1970s to showcase native plants such as the azaleas. The members were shown how to identify and then remove invasive plants such as yellowflag iris, phragmites, mugwort, orchid grass and tall fescue as well as how to tell the difference from similar looking native plants such as cattail and native aster. Invasive plant species spread quickly and can displace native plants, prevent native plant growth, and create monocultures. By removing these plants, the native plants that end up choked by the invasive species can proliferate and grow.
After all the invasive plants have been removed from the area, the garden will then have new native plants planted. The sector that our group worked on will become a wetland garden as the area helps absorb flooding from the Connetquot river flooding and runoff from the great lawn of the park.
Members participated: Charles Qin(2.5 h), Rachel Wang(2.5 h), Alyssa Huang(2.5 h), Nora Han(2.5 h), Jessica Albrecht(2.5 h), Margaret Zhang(3 h), Yueshuya Tang (2 h), Jianie Huang(2 h), Sonia Huang(2 h) and Nicole Huang(2 h), Guangli Yang (advisor, 2.5 h) and four more parents.
