Invasive clearing Archives - North Shore Channel Habitat Project

Tony removing burdock in the Ladd Arboretum

Opening space for growth

We spend more time removing plants than adding them these days. In a disturbed site like the banks of the North Shore Channel, invasive plants thrive. Until our newly planted native plants get the upper hand, weeding will remain one of our most tim...

5 years ago

Youth from Quest4Earth helped clear buckthorn at Harbert Park

A beautiful day for buckthorn cutting

Sunshine raised spirits at the last buckthorn clearing of the season yesterday, as more than 40 volunteers pitched in to clear a large section of the Harbert Park woods....

6 years ago

Piling up the buckthorn at another Harbert Park workday

A perfect day for buckthorn cutting

Sunshine and cool weather: a perfect day for cutting buckthorn. ...

6 years ago

Buckthorn ready for chipping at Harbert Park

Phased out

We opened up a new front yesterday toward the south end of Harbert Park. There's a wooded area there that's frequented by migratory birds. ...

6 years ago

Ellen and Jack Donovan clearing buckthorn in the arboretum

Back to the buckthorn

As most of our native trees are losing their leaves, non-native buckthorn and bush honeysuckle stand out with their dark green foliage, making this an ideal time for identifying them—and cutting them down. This winter, we plan to continue clearing ...

6 years ago

Harbert Park clearing begins

Reviving natural areas in urban settings sometimes starts with chainlink fences and broken bottles. On Saturday, a group of volunteers came out to start the process in Harbert Park....

7 years ago

Judy Pollock ponders a buckthorn thicket

What goes and what stays?

The overlook deck at Harbert Park has been cleaned and repaired, and we’re ready to start preparing the site around it for planting this fall. What will we do when volunteers arrive tomorrow morning? In a setting like this, some things are obvi...

7 years ago

Vince with Twiggs Park clearing volunteers

Community work day in Twiggs Park

On Saturday, the City of Evanston’s North Shore Channel Habitat Project brought together city staff and community volunteers to begin work in Twiggs Park. Volunteers from of the YMCA Camp Echo Alumni network, Twiggs Park Neighbors for Peace Blo...

7 years ago

Working our way along the channel banks

Buckthorn and honeysuckle clearing continued yesterday along the banks of the North Shore Channel. Volunteers worked with a city crew in a section northeast of the Ecology Center. We’ve been using hand tools so far, but the city’s forestr...

7 years ago

Butterfly Milkweed in the Ladd Arboretum

Managing weeds

Butterfly milkweed is in full bloom now in the Ladd Arboretum. In spite of its name, butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a native plant and host to butterflies and other pollinators. Not everyone agrees about what counts as a weed. In fact, th...

7 years ago