Aylus Great Neck Branch Volunteer at Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center on 5/10/2025 (33nd)
On 10th May, 2025, Aylus volunteers went to Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center’s Pollinater Garden during 9:30 am to 12 am to clear out invasive plants, mainly mugwort, that grows in spring.
First, the volunteers gather up at the center and were instructed by the director and were taught what to do for today’s work. Then, they got tools like cutters and sickles to begin cutting and removing invasive plants. So why were the invasives cut instead of pulled out? The reason was because if the mugwort, for example, were pulled out, it’s more likely that some stem parts were left behind in the soil, which finally leads to two mugwort seedlings. Other than the invasives, dead plant stems were also cut to leave out space for the native plant seeds that hadn’t sprout and blooms in late summer to grow. Finally, everything, including mugwort, crowned vetch, and phragmites being cut are put into a huge bin to be disposed, and saved space for good plants like goldenrod, New England asters, butterfly weed, and iron weed.
Invasive species cause a huge damage to the local environment. They can be here for multiple reasons, either on or not on purpose. The reason they cause damage and decrease the biodiversity in areas is because they usually don’t have a predator (since they’re invasives) and competes for other species’ niche. In this example, it’s soil, water, and nutrients. Getting rid of these plants can take a long time, but it’s very meaningful and a great way to not only relax, but also make contributions to the environment.
Members who participated include: Felicia Liu (2.5h), Yingxiang Liu (2.5h), Yuya Liu (2.5h), Jason Huang (2.5h)
Reported by: Felicia Liu
