The AYLUS Dix Hills Branch partnered with Bethpage State Park to clear out invasive plants that threatened the native species living there. Invasive plants are usually non-native plants that can swiftly take over an area and generally offer less value to birds and wildlife than native plants. Mugwort is one such invasive plant that takes over an area, and controlling it is very difficult. Several volunteers used a sod cutter to cut down and loosen an entire strip of mugwort, so the reminding chunks could more efficiently be cleared. The job today was to move away the chunks of sod leftover so that once it’s all clean and ready, the area can be replanted with good plants. Native plants, for example, offer value to birds, other wildlife, and pollinators, as pollinators not only need a source of food (flowers for adults), but a food source for larvae and a place to lay their eggs. Volunteers worked from 9:30 to 12:00 to lay out the foundations for future plantings of beneficial plants, and cleared out any unnecessary plants in the area.
Volunteers: Bryan Fan (3 hours), Ming Chen (3 hours), Jonathan Fan (2.5 hours), Ru Xue Jiang (2.5 hours), Jason Chen (2.5 hours), Vincent Yang (2.5 hours), and Zoe Xia (2.5 hours).
