Managing terrestrial invasives

May will soon end for this year. It looks to make it into the record books for how wet it's been. We haven't sprayed the poison ivy yet out of concern herbicide sprayed would be washed off promptly after application. Maybe next week?

Slowly, very slowly, we're learning more about Minnesota's invasive species and noxious weeds. There are four classes of noxious weeds in Minnesota, according to this MNDoT reference:

• Prohibited: Eradicate (14 species)


• Prohibited: Control (9 species)


• Restricted Noxious Weeds (12 species)


• Specially Regulated (5 species)

To our knowledge, our property is host to one or two restricted weeds (common and/or glossy buckthorn) and one special regulation weed (poison ivy).  The answer to our fuming earlier about why MNDNR doesn't control the buckthorn on their property is provided by the definition:

"Restricted noxious weeds are plants that are widely distributed in Minnesota and are detrimental to human or animal health, the environment, public roads, crops, livestock or other property, but whose only feasible means of control is to prevent their spread by prohibiting the importation, sale, and transportation of their propagating parts in the state..."

 Poison ivy, on the other hand, "Must be eradicated or controlled for public safety along rights-of-ways, trails, public accesses, business properties open to the public or on parts of lands where public access for business or commerce is granted...". Unfortunately, this definition begs the question of whether a property owner or the township is responsible for such eradication or control within the roadway easement where the township controls weeds by mowing only the shoulder and not the entire ditch.

orange hawkweed(?) at St. Croix State Park: invasive but not noxious?

Photo by J. Harrington

The comparison between jumbled, garbled, poorly crafted noxious weed management guidance and definitions and today's press conference by Special Counsel Mueller is not lost on us. A number of state agencies, rules and laws provide guidance and requirements intended to craft an approach to minimize damage done by noxious weeds. In too many instances, it's unclear which party is responsible for undertaking eradication or control. Since it appears that a foreign-controlled, invasive species may have taken control of the presidency of the US, it's unclear which party is now responsible (Congress through impeachment or the electorate through an election two years from now) and how to require the responsible party to take responsible action. We seem unwilling and unable to control foreign invasive species in this country at a time when we are facing increasing types and degrees of threats to our very existence. It's almost like our brains have been affected by the consumption of too much weed. Perhaps that explains how MNDNR classifies orange hawkweed as "invasive" (Invasive species are species that are not native to Minnesota and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.) but MNDoT doesn't list it as noxious. Should we ask Congress or the Minnesota Legislature to sort this out?

Meanwhile, we're still looking for help with the identification of these thorny plants growing in the ditch between the road and our property.

what is it? invasive? noxious? indigenous?

Photo by J. Harrington

The World Is a Beautiful Place

by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

The world is a beautiful place
            to be born into
if you don't mind happiness
   not always being
     so very much fun
 if you don't mind a touch of hell
    now and then
 just when everything is fine
    because even in heaven
  they don't sing
    all the time

 The world is a beautiful place
     to be born into
if you don't mind some people dying
      all the time
  or maybe only starving
     some of the time
 which isn't half bad
    if it isn't you

 Oh the world is a beautiful place
      to be born into
  if you don't much mind
     a few dead minds
   in the higher places
      or a bomb or two
    now and then
      in your upturned faces
 or such other improprieties
     as our Name Brand society
   is prey to
    with its men of distinction
  and its men of extinction
     and its priests
   and other patrolmen

     and its various segregations
 and congressional investigations
     and other constipations
  that our fool flesh
     is heir to

 Yes the world is the best place of all
     for a lot of such things as
  making the fun scene
     and making the love scene
and making the sad scene
 and singing low songs and having inspirations
      and walking around
      looking at everything
            and smelling flowers
       and goosing statues
   and even thinking
     and kissing people and
              making babies and wearing pants
              and waving hats and
        dancing
         and going swimming in rivers
  on picnics
   in the middle of the summer
 and just generally
    'living it up'
      Yes
 but then right in the middle of it
     comes the smiling

    mortician

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