On Thursday, February 20, 2025 the Central Upper Peninsula Chapter of Wild Ones hosted “Invaders in the Woods” at the Forestry Innovation Center. The educational event focused on how to identify some of those invasive species.
“Barberry is a common landscaping shrub which is quite invasive, especially in our forests,” said Laurie Johnson, Central U.P. Wild Ones President. “Spotted knapweed is kind of a field flower, which is actually quite pretty but really can deter the growth of other plants.”
The event also covered ways to promote a healthy local ecosystem, such as natural landscaping.
“A grassy lawn that we all kind of have accustomed to is not doing our pollinators any good,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of an ecological desert. Supporting pollinators not only supports our own flowers and gardens, but it also supports our larger agriculture in the area.”
A short segment on what this presentation covered can be found at this following URL or by copying this address into your web browser:
Central U.P. Wild Ones to host invasive species presentation at MSU Forestry Innovation Center on Feb. 20