AYLUS Syosset rejoins Stewardship Saturday with their weekly environmental events!
Members of AYLUS Syosset participated in invasive plant species removal at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum with AYLUS Roslyn and the Stewardship Saturday Program. Members removed two species today: phragmites and flag iris. For Syosset AYLUS members, phragmites is a plant we commonly deal with. Phragmites is a species that reduces native species’ success, reduces native wildlife populations and provides habitats for mosquitoes. When in water, phragmites reduces wild fish populations. When members pulled large amounts of phragmites out of the garden beds, the plants were often connected to each other via their strong and thick roots, which span large areas and are difficult to completely get rid of. However, it is important to note that even though it is close to impossible for us to completely eradicate these invasive species and their root systems, it is still weakening these plants and giving time for native species to repopulate the area.
Another problematic plant, the yellow flag iris, is native to parts of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa and is also extremely destructive. Today, many members dug up irises and got to see the seed pods that are responsible for spreading this species all across New York. The pods are full of seeds, making this species difficult to eradicate.
Members who participated include:
Rachel Zhang (3h), Alyssa Huang (3h), Jessica Albrecht (3h), Margaret Zhang (3h).
